


The Flaming Flower Burns Brighter With Love

by septemberbugs



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Creatures & Monsters, Alternate Universe - Disney Fusion, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - Powers, Alternate Universe - The Jungle Book Fusion, Angst with a Happy Ending, Assassin - Freeform, Awkward Flirting, Awkward Kissing, Boyfriends, Boys In Love, Boys Kissing, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, F/F, Fire Powers, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Girlfriends - Freeform, Girls Kissing, Half-Human, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Japanese Mythology & Folklore, KageHina - Freeform, LGBT, M/M, Magic, Magical Tattoos, Major Character Injury, Mutual Pining, No Volleyball, Oblivious Hinata Shouyou, Oblivious Kageyama Tobio, Past Abuse, Protective Sugawara Koushi, Religious Imagery & Symbolism, Semifer, Sharing a Bed, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, The Jungle Book - Freeform, kami - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-07
Updated: 2021-01-05
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:00:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 64,949
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23520466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/septemberbugs/pseuds/septemberbugs
Summary: This is loosely based off of Kiplings Mowgli and Jungle Book stories as well as the Disney adaptation.Hinata has to travel to the human village so Aoba Johsai doesn't attack his pack or try to kill him. On his way, he meets many different people who change his world. All the while, Kageyama Tobio is stalking Hinata and trying to kill him to restore his pride.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio, Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru, Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou, Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi, Shimizu Kiyoko/Yachi Hitoka
Comments: 49
Kudos: 51





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> First Fanfic being posted on here. This is loosely based off of Kiplings Jungle Book and the Disney film.
> 
> The Semifer's maturation is different. Here's a chart to help.
> 
> ACTUAL AGE - HOW OLD THEY LOOK  
> 10-15  
> 11.5-16  
> 13-17  
> 14.5-18  
> 16-19  
> 17.5-20  
> 19-21  
> 20.5-22  
> 22-23  
> 23.5-24  
> 25-25
> 
> So if the first years are 18, they look about 20, seconds years are 19 and look 21, and third years are 20 and look around 22.

Chapter One

The ground was soft beneath his feet, years of tag and playing games made a path in it almost. The rest of the jungle soared by him and the sound of nature passed by in a blur. He was almost there, just a little bit farther and he would make it. Just a few more meters-

“I got you!” a voice yelled and Hinata fell to the ground with a hard thud. Twisting his neck around he saw Yuu, a wolf in his pack that seemed to have taken a strong liking to him when he was introduced as a little boy. At the moment though, he was holding Shoyo down with all his might, holding him still.

“Get off of me already,” Hinata yelled and tried to push the wolf off his back with no luck. 

“Admit that I won this game then or I’m gonna make Ryuu pull a prank on you again,” the short boy smirked. 

“Fine fine, you won, alright,” Hinata giggled and felt the weight of his friend leave his body. Shouyo shook out his hair and brushed down his clothes, getting the plants and dirt off of him. They started walking forward and he sighed as they passed the big Sugi tree covered by smaller plants. “So close,” he whispered. 

“What was that?” Nishinoya questioned and bent over to look at Hinata’s face. 

“Nothing, I was just saying how I’m totally going to beat your ass next time! I was just warming up this round. You better believe you’re going down, Yuu!!!” He grinned and shoved the wolf in front of him harshly. 

“Oh you’re gonna pay for that, Shou!” Yuu exclaimed and jumped on Hinata’s back, biting his ear and wrapping his legs and tail around the younger boy. Hinata yelped and tried to pull him off but ended up falling back down on the ground and laughing. They ended up wrestling on the ground, covered in mud until a judgemental voice interrupted them. 

“Would you two stop messing around and go back to the pack. You’re always playing this dumb game of trying to ‘get’ the other before reaching the Sugi. Everyone stopped doing that at least five years ago.”

“Shut up, Kei. At least Shou and I get out and do things. All you do is complain and barely help during hunts!” Nishinoya yelled and Tsukishima’s blonde ears turned down for a split second. He didn’t let his emotions get to him and turned around and stalked off. 

“Sawamura-san wants you guys back. Now,” He said coldly as he left. 

“Geez what’s his problem. After knowing us basically two thirds of his life, he could at least treat us more nicely,” Hinata pouted.

“He’s nice to those he wants to be nice to. He even adds honorifics when talking about some of us. He should call me senpai, I am his senior after all!” Noya shouted. 

“He doesn’t call you senpai because he doesn’t realize how awesome you are, Yuu,” Shoyo smiled and pushed himself off the ground. He reached a hand out to Noya and he took it gratefully. 

“This is why you’re always going to be my favorite kouhai,” Noya concluded and pulled himself up. They turned away from the tall Sugi tree and started walking back to their pack. 

Their home wasn’t far away. A few hundred meters or so, and both of them could hear the pack soon after they started dragging themselves towards home. It was a nice area, surrounded by trees and had a small pond next to the few cave-houses. It fell into the rocks that made up the houses, making it look almost like a pool. The houses were covered in mosses and different grasses, but Hinata couldn’t say anything else felt more like home. Small lanterns were held from each house by protruding vines or branches. The houses all slanted at different directions, following the natural slope of the rock they were made out of. It was like a little village, though only ten people lived there all together.

Most of the wolves barely used the shelters unless there was rain or storms. They didn’t have much in them anyway, a gas oven, storage, the necessities in case of emergencies. For the majority of the time, everyone slept outside under the canopy on the neighboring trees and looked up at the stars. Their futons stayed outside because of this, and were ragged with countless years of wear and tear. 

Hinata didn’t know how other types of Semifers lived. He assumed it was similar to his pack, though he was never certain. Daichi and Sugawara kept a close eye on him since he first was rescued. He had met some other semifers though; Akaashi, a panther that had cold eyes, and Kenma, his friend that had the eyes and tongue of a snake. 

Hinata himself was not a semifer. He was the only human in his pack. It was a miracle that the wolves had taken him in. It was dangerous for them to raise him, Shoyo was grateful that they did though. He probably would have died if not for the previous Alphas of the pack, Ukai and Takeda. After Daichi, Sugawara, and Azumane reached maturity, they took over and Ukai and Takeda left. Hinata was 7 at the time, and the three seniors were only 10, though they looked more about 15. 

The wolves aged differently than humans, and Hinata failed to realize that he wasn’t a wolf. He never believed he was different, even though he didn’t have fuzzy ears at the top of his head, and no tail on his backside. He merely assumed that he was a different type of wolf. He mostly clung to Sugawara-san, the most approachable wolf in the pack, and next in line for command if anything happened to Daichi. After nearly a full year after switching over to Daichi as the alpha, Suga broke the news to Hinata. About how he was found by a river nearby in a basket. That he was not a semifer, but a human. Part of a species that despised Semifers, a species that believed they were superior. A species that actively hunted semifers. A species that called Semifers half breeds, monsters, and touched by demons. Hinata was devastated, and swore to never seek out his kind.

He had a couple years with Yuu, Tanaka, Kinoshita, Chikara, and Narita when they were around the same maturation as him but then they all grew up in the blink of an eye, and Shoyo was stuck as a human child at 9 years old. It was confusing to have all your friends surpass you and have to catch up to them in a span of a few years. Hinata never hated his species more during that time. Everyone babied him, when all he wanted to do was hang with his friends who now were more interested in shaving their new body hair than playing hide and seek. 

Tsukishima and Yamaguchi joined the pack when Hinata was 11, they were the same age. Actually, Hinata was a few months older than each of them, but they still didn’t hang with him.

On his 13th birthday, Shouyou was considered up to scratch to join the pack for hunts and other business. His packmates soon returned to talking to him when he went through puberty, and Hinata was starting to feel a part of a family again. 

It was good that the wolves only aged quickly during older child years and puberty. If they continued to age quickly, Hinata would have been left behind and would have to fend for himself by the time he was 15. They’re physical maturation plateaued after their quick puberty and they aged quite slowly. They looked quite the same from 10 to 25, just to keep themselves in prime physical condition for hunts. In 15 years, they only aged about 10 years in human terms. 

Now at 18, Hinata never felt better. Though he looked like he was barely 15 to his peers, Hinata finally felt like he was catching up to his friends and family. He wasn’t babied anymore, though he still didn’t feel as connected to his pack as he should be. The past few years have been the most frustrating thing in the world but now. Now, everything was right. Now it just had to stay the same.

But the world never stopped changing, not even for Shouyou. Hinata’s perfect world would be crashing down. And soon. 

*** 

There was something evidently wrong when Noya and Hinata arrived back at home. The air was heavy, too heavy. Hinata looked at Noya and found him staring right back at him, a question on his lips. 

“What’s going on?” He whispered. 

“I have no clue-”

“Shouyou, you’re back! Thank goodness. I thought they got you already,” Suga came rushing out of the house when he spotted them. The rest of the pack followed him and encircled the two boys that finally came back. Suga enveloped Hinata in a tight hug. When he pulled away, Hinata saw that his tail was between his legs and his ears were back in fear. Actually, almost everyone’s ears were back. Something was wrong.

“What, you don’t care to see me?!” Noya joked but the only people laughing were him and Hinata. 

“Dude, not the time,” Tanaka said quietly while looking at the ground. Hinata’s heart sank and his furrowed brows raised in awe. If even Tanaka was acting serious, nothing good was in store. 

“We’ll explain inside,” Daichi said and motioned for Shouyou to enter as he held the door open to their cave hut. Tanaka pulled Noya to the side and the rest of the pack dispersed once they all made sure that Hinata was back.

“What’s going on?” Hinata questioned as soon as the door closed behind them. He noticed three dirty futons were squished in the tiny space next to the table Suga was sitting at. “Why are the futons inside?”

“Calm down. And please, sit down,” Daichi said cautiously and pulled a chair up on the opposite side of Suga. Hinata reluctantly sat down and stared at his adoptive parents, waiting for them to explain.

“You know Aoba Johsai, the group of tiger-semifers, right?” Daichi asked. 

“Yeah, you told me to stay away from their territory, and I always do.”

“Well, they came to our territory today...” Daichi continued but looked away, as if trying to figure out what to say. 

“They found out about you,” Suga whispered. His head that was in his hands looked up and met Shouyou’s eyes for the first time. Suga’s hands fell onto the wood table and his nails dug into it, creating small pricks marks.

Hinata looked at him and then to Daichi, who was now attempting to pace around the crowded room. “So?”

“They know you’re a human. And they know you have the mark,” Suga said defeatedly.

“I still don’t understand why that’s so bad? You said that every human has a mark on their body. That each human has been given power by the Kami specifically for them.” 

“Some powers are more dangerous than others, Shou,” Daichi intervened. “And Blue Castle doesn’t like yours. No, they don’t like any of them. They don’t like humans.”

“Well I don’t like humans either!”

“It’s not the same, Shouyou! It’s not the same! They’ve been targeted by humans before and have been hurt. They’re not a clan that will easily forgive or allow a human to walk in their jungle,” Koushi exclaimed. There were tears in his eyes. 

“Then just tell them I’m not like other humans-”

“That's enough!” Suga stood up and slammed his hands on the table resulting in a loud bang. 

“Koushi,” Daichi stood behind Suga and rubbed his back, trying to calm him down. Suga back away from his touch. 

“They want you gone. We have until the end of the drought,” Suga said and dropped down into his seat again, a look of numbness plastered on his face. 

“Well obviously that’s not happening,” Shouyou smiled and looked at both of them. His face dropped when they said nothing. “That’s not happening right?” 

Daichi spoke up, “Shouyou, we have no choice-” 

“No! There’s always a choice!” Shouyou yelled and realization hit him. They were sending him away. Things just got back to normal in the past couple years and now it was being torn apart again. He felt tears prick the backs of his eyes.

Daichi tried again. “It’s not forever. Just until we find another solution. Tiger’s are brutal. We don’t want the pack to be hurt. Everyone is freaked out. At least five of the tigers came on our territory not too long ago. The aura that they brought with them was incredible.”

“We thought they killed you already. Nishinoya never told any of us that you guys were going to play by the Sugi tree,” Suga cried.

Suddenly playing games and chasing Yuu felt far away. It felt childish and like a waste of time to Shouyou. Just then, they were all happy. Everything was normal. And now this. Hinata felt his body go numb. He sat there blankly while Daichi explained what would happen next. He stared at Koushi’s hunched over form that was sobbing silently into his palms. His life seemed to be ending. 

Tomorrow he would be leaving with Akaashi and he would take him to the nearest human village where he would be safe. Hinata despised the idea but kept his mouth shut. It didn’t seem real. 

Late that night he laid down on his futon, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep. He looked over at Suga, he seemed to be taking this the hardest. He didn’t know how Yuu and his other seniors reacted when they found out that Hinata had to leave, but Shoyo was sure that Suga was the most upset. Sure, he had Daichi and Asahi, but Shouyou was basically his child. He raised Shouyou and watched him grow up the past 11 years. He knew Daichi was upset as well, having raised him as well, but he concealed it better. He had to, not only for himself, but for his pack. 

Feeling very small again, Hinata scooted over into Suga’s futon and buried his head in the man's chest. He felt warm arms wrap around him and hold his body close. A hand ran through his hair repeatedly and brushed his dirty hair behind his ear. Shouyou reached down and grabbed Koushi’s tail. He held it in his fist, something he used to do years ago when he was frightened. Suga was always there for him, someone who would love him no matter what. Shouyou recalled a memory of Suga kissing one of his boo-boo’s when he was around 7 years old and he wondered if Suga could make the wound on his heart feel better. 

He let the tears fall quietly and the arms around him tightened.

  
  



	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hinata, Kenma, and Akaashi head out for the human village and encounter a strange semifer. Kageyama is sent to kill Hinata to restore his honor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Thank you for all the lovely comments, I'm glad everyone is enjoying it! 
> 
> Just some terms to help comprehension of the book:
> 
> Semifer- half human half beast. This is a latin term that I️'m using.
> 
> Also, some of the character's are based more off Kiplings version instead of the Disney version, (Kageyama and Kenma) so if there is any confusion just let me know.

Chapter Two

Hinata barely got a wink of sleep. Throughout the night all he did was listen to the steady breath of Daichi to the right of him and the soft cries of Suga who was holding him as if he were his lifeline. The times that he did fall asleep were horrifying; nightmares full of tigers and his pack dead. The empty look in their dead eyes startled him awake more than once. Staring at the ceiling was nothing like staring at the stars that were splatter painted across the sky. Hinata couldn’t even imagine what his life would become in the next couple days. 

The night was too long. The night was too short. Hinata begged it to be over but dreading what would happen when the sun rose. It made him angry, the sun continuing to rise. It was selfish, but Hinata couldn’t believe that everything else in the world progressed without a second thought when he felt so terrible. He would go through those years of being alone again and again if that would stop what was happening now. Those thoughts rushed through his head faster than his friends growing up. It clouded his mind, consuming him. 

And then-

The morning arrived. 

It was sunny, no rain. There was never rain at this time of year. Still, the jungle thrived. Bits of light peeked through the leaves that served as blinds onto the table a few feet away from him. Shoyo looked at the scratches on the table, not only from Sugawara last night, but from his childhood. From him trying to sharpen his nails so they looked like everyone else's. But his nails never sharpened, neither did his teeth. 

He brought his hand up to his face and looked at his nails. They were disgusting, filled with dirt and broken down to his fingertips. He closed his fingers down into a fist and sighed. He was human, there was nothing he could do to change that. Nothing he could do to get Sei Joh to back down or leave his pack alone. Nothing. Except…

He bolted upright out of Koushi’s arms with eyes wide. 

“Shouyou, what are you do-” Suga started.

“My power! I could use it against Blue Castle! And then everything would go back to normal!” He exclaimed. 

“No,” Daichi said sternly from his futon, having woken up by the commotion. His dark ears were turned back disapprovingly. 

“Why not?” Hinata grilled. 

“You can’t control it. You know that,” Daichi frowned. 

“And it’s volatile. You could end up hurting us as well as destroying our home,” Suga mentioned. 

“Not just our home, the whole jungle,” stated Daichi. “And we can’t help you figure out your powers. Only humans can-”

“I get it!” Hinata fumed, his face almost as red as his hair. The silence that followed grew uncomfortable in an instant. 

Finally, Suga broke it. “We want you here. We want you to stay. I have no idea what I’m going to do when you’re gone. Trust me, we wish it was that easy to get out of this mess.” 

Hinata dropped his eyes to the scarlet camellia outline on his wrist. Why did he have to be cursed with such a terrible gift. All he did was destroy when he tried to use it. He followed the end of one of the petals onto the name scrawled next to it, Kagu-tsuchi. Whoever the hell that was. That stupid Kami who gave him this power was responsible for all of this. Why couldn’t he have gotten one of the Kami with dumb magic. Suga had told him that most humans had small powers. That there were infinite Kami, eight million of them, so that every human could be blessed in their own way. 

His thoughts were interrupted by Daichi. “C’mon, you have to get ready and eat before Akaashi arrives.” 

After physically being pushed out the door and having Daichi pack a bag of his belongings and necessities, Hinata was ready. Well not emotionally, but to the naked eye he was. Hinata stood a few feet away from the door, and looked around. This was his home. This was his life. 

His pack was doing the usual, but anyone could tell that they were all down. Azumane was more jittery than on most days, and Noya and Tanaka were barely talking, let alone cracking jokes like normal. And worst of all, everyone kept looking at Shouyou. ‘Subtle’ glances every now and then. It made him feel restless. He didn’t know where to put his hands so they hung limply at his sides. The weight of the bag on his back was unfamiliar and upsetting. 

Everyone stopped what they were doing when Daichi left the cave with Sugawara right behind him. He tilted his head up and signalled the group over, for the final time with its present members. 

The goodbye ceremony could barely be called a ceremony. Hinata didn’t even pay attention to what his friends said. It was all bullshit. Bullshit smiles and bullshit tears. Not that they weren’t real, but Hinata knew that they shouldn’t be doing this. It felt wrong. He wasn’t dead. He wasn’t leaving for good. Actually he didn’t know that. Daichi has told him until they could find a way to have him there safely without the tigers wrecking havoc. And no one knew when that would be, if it would ever come. 

It was too much for Shouyou. He slipped away as soon as Tadashi finished his speech and headed behind the mossy rocks to the nut tree. Suga watched and gave him a warning to be back soon with the look in his eyes. He reached the tree quickly and looked around. _He should be here…_ Hinata pondered. 

“Shou-chan,” said a faint voice.

“Kenma,” Hinata said and watched his friend slither out from the brush. 

“I know what’s going on, Shouyou. News travels fast around these parts,” Kozume informed. 

“I don’t want to go,” Hinata broke down. Kenma walked towards him and reached out to give him a hug. Hinata froze, never expected his friend to do something like this. It was nice, though the scales that ran along the back side of Kenma’s arms were cold against his skin. 

Kozume broke away, “I’m travelling with you and the panther.”

“But you hate other semifers. It took me so long to even get you to come out of this tree when I first spotted you so many years ago.” That got him a glare from his friend, the snake-semifer’s pupils shrunk down into slits before returning to their ovular shape. Hinata grinned at that. 

“This is important enough that I am overlooking it,” Kemna mumbled and broke eye contact from his friend. Kenma showing his emotions was bittersweet, and Hinata smiled sadly because of it. “The cat should be here soon, I’ll walk you back.”

Kenma was right of course. When they arrived, Akaashi, Daichi, and Suga were waiting patiently. 

“He’s coming with,” Hinata said with a stern voice, making it clear that this wasn't negotiable. 

“Fine with me,” spoke the panther in a monotone voice. He eyed kenma up and down; figuring out he was a snake by the scales that protected parts of his body, most notable around his hairline and temples. “You’re not venomous are you?”

Reluctance danced in Kozumes eyes but he finally answered, “no. I’m a python.” It must have been intimidating to be asked that question. It revealed he wasn’t an immediate threat and could be considered weaker than venomous snakes. Hinata saw Kenma flick his tongue out a couple times to remember the panther's scent in case he tried to pull something funny. 

Before Hinata could try to ease the tension between his escorts, he was pulled into a hug by Daichi and Suga. Warmth surrounded him and Hinata sourly thought that this could be the last time he ever felt it. He hugged them tighter and squeezed his eyes shut.

“It’s not forever,” whispered Daichi reading Shouyou’s mind. 

“We’ll think of you always,” Suga squeaked and his voice broke at the end of the sentence. 

“We should get going,” Akaashi said and shattered the intimate moment. Shouyou turned away from his guardians and started walking. He didn’t turn back in look, afraid that it would hurt more to see home one last time.

***

“We should stop. We may be able to maneuver through the jungle at night, but Shouyou can’t with his eyesight,” Kenma suggested. 

“Right. Let’s set up a base nearby and get some sleep. We will be travelling a lot tomorrow so get as much as you can,” Akaashi yawned. 

They ended up in a knot of a huge tree that would fit all of them and Hinata soon felt the fatigue of walking the whole day. He still felt miserable even though Kenma and Akaashi tried to lighten the mood. They were both terribly awkward so it didn’t work as well as they hoped. It made Shouyou tired even trying to hold a conversation with the two of them. 

He shifted on the wood beneath him and groaned, how could Kenma and Akaashi sleep like this? Actually, Hinata knew that Kenma often fell asleep on trees. And Keiji seemed to always keep his cool in any situation, so sleeping on a tree was probably the least of his worries. He scooted closer to Kenma but his scales were cold and provided no warmth to Shouyou. He wished for Suga’s parental touch but knew that nothing could replicate it. Turning over again he bumped into Akaashi and whispered an apology. Keiji grunted in response. 

As soon as the sun started to rise, Shouyou slipped off the tree. He needed to walk off his bitter mood. After kicking his way through plants and almost falling because of the uneven forest floor, Hinata found a flat rock to sit against. The birds were chirping now and the sun peeked through the canopy onto where he was sitting. 

Walking it off didn’t help, he decided and huffed in annoyance. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. 

“Well now, what do we have here?” An orotund voice said. Hinata opened his eyes to see a broad semifer standing in front of him. His hair stood straight up and dark ears peeked through it, almost as round as his curious eyes. 

“Go away,” grumbled Hinata and swatted the hand that reached out to touch him. 

“Man, I’ve seen everything in these woods but nothing like you, kid. Why, you must be the man cub that those wolves raised,” the man pondered. 

“Oh would you just leave me alone,” Hinata scowled. He really didn’t want to quarrel with a stranger but this bear didn’t seem violent. He felt his body heat up and tried to suppress it, knowing that his power might activate by accident with his emotions running high.

“Ya know, you’re not as menacing as everyone makes you out to be,” spoke the bear.

Hinata’s eyes darkened and he stood up. “You go away now, you pest.”

“What’ll you do if I don’t, little boy?”

“I’ll… I’ll use the flower against you,” Hinata yelled.

“Now that’s what I want to hear!” The bear whooped and picked Hinata up before he could even know what was happening. 

Hinata squaked in response and tried to break free as the man walked into a clearing up ahead.

“Settle down now, I’m gonna teach you how to fight to pair with that special power of yours.”

“Let me go!” The next thing he knew he was placed down and the man smiled above him. He grabbed his hands and balled them into fists, ready to defend himself.

“Good, good. Now punch me with everything you got.” 

Hinata threw a punch and felt it connect with the man's chest. 

“Pathetic. Just pathetic. You’re lucky that ol’ Bokuto decided to make you his pupil!”

“What?! I don’t want to be your student. Just let me leave in peace and I won’t hurt you,” Hinata threatened. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, trying to concentrate his energy into his right palm. Finally, he felt it ignite and brought his flaming hand up to Bokuto’s face. 

Bokuto sighed and gave the shorter boy a disappointed look. “If it takes you that long to conjure a flame, your opponent will have already knocked you out.” 

Hinata groaned and shook his hand, making the flame go out. He had spent years learning to do that. In secret of course, he didn’t want to worry Suga and Daichi. He knew they would throw a fit if they saw him practicing, they didn’t want a repeat of the incident. 

He threw himself on the ground like a toddler throwing a tantrum. Why couldn’t he just be normal?

He was reminded that he wasn’t alone by Bokuto grunting as he sat down next to him. “You know, you remind me of my younger self. I never wanted to train when I was feeling down.”

“Yeah right,” Hinata said sarcastically. 

“It’s true! I know you must be feeling pretty shitty. C’mon let me help you.”

Hinata shook his head. 

“Why not, little dude? You’ve got some serious potential. If you don’t want to train then at least let your feelings out ”

Hinata whipped his head up at that comment. Sure his pack had supported him, but not so openly. “You sure?” he questioned shyly. He was exhausted. Not just physically, but emotionally as well. He couldn’t keep his facade up anymore. If Bokuto stayed even after Hinata’s attitude, it meant that he was a pretty decent guy. Though Hinata felt like he wanted to be alone, this random bear could see that he really just needed to be around for someone to listen. 

“Yeah, my star pupil. I wanna help you out. And if having a little therapy session is what you need, then I’m all for it. No one should feel alone, especially when an awesome senpai like me exists!”

Hinata chuckled. “You’re pretty funny, Bokuto-san.”

“Of course I am, what's your name anyway, man cub?”

“Hinata. Hinata Shouyou. Weren’t you gonna teach me how to defend myself?” Hinata asked, feeling a lot better knowing that Bokuto was here for him.

“Hey hey hey! That’s what I’m talking about. You better tell me what’s got you feeling so blue after though!” Bokuto jumped and yanked Shouyou up with him. And then they were training, joking around like old buddies even though they just met.

That was how Akaashi and Kenma found them when they went out in search of Shouyou. “Oh no, it’s Bokuto,” Akaashi sighed from the bush they were hiding behind.

“You know that bear?” Kenma questioned. After traveling the whole day with Keiji, Kenma warmed up to him a bit. It was good that the panther didn’t prod too much, it could have overwhelmed him easily. 

Akaashi looked once at Shouyou and Koutarou, then back at Kozume. “Unfortunately.” 

Out of the blue, Shouyou came crashing down onto the bush they were hiding behind which resulted in many limbs getting tangled together as well as incomprehensible yelps of pain. 

“Look what you’ve done, Bokuto. You start training the poor boy and then you go knock him out. How is he supposed to remember the lesson?” Akaashi judged once he escaped from the mesh of limbs. 

A crooked smile grew on Bokuto’s face once he saw his friends. “AKAASHI!” he hooted and sprinted towards the panther. Akaashi gave him a doubtful look. “I- uh, I didn’t mean to hit him that hard. C’mon Keiji, he’s alright.”

“Yeah, I’m alright. I’m tougher than I look,” Hinata exclaimed as he brushed himself off. 

“Shouyou…” Kenma started but Hinata walked right back over to Bokuto.

“I should’ve taught you this right when I met you, Hinata. You hafta just go with the flow in life. You can’t be so judgy like Akaashi here,” Bokuto taught. 

Akaashi glowered.

“All you need in life is the bare necessities. You gotta forget about all your worries, ‘cause if you don’t, you’ll never be at ease. You’ll keep searching for answers that don’t exist. So just let yourself relax and let the bare necessities of life come to you.” 

“Wow, Bokuto! You’re really wise. Like an owl!” Hinata cheered. 

“Hey hey hey I am, aren’t I?”

“No,” Akaashi said in a monotonous voice. That caused not only Hinata, but Kenma to giggle. 

“Akaashi! Why would you say something so mean.” Bokuto looked appalled. 

“Because we have to keep moving. If Hinata doesn’t reach the human village soon, Aoba Johsai will kill him.” 

“You’re taking him to the human village!? They’ll ruin him! They’ll make him a killer!” yelled Bokuto.

Hinata put his hand on Bokuto’s fuzzy bicep in reassurance. “Don’t worry, I’d never let them taint me like that.”

“Okay, well if he has to go, I’m coming with!” Koutarou decided.

“Great just what we need. Might as well just tell the predators where we are considering how much scent we’re going to give off,” suspired Keiji.

“What do you think, Kenma?” Hinata queried. 

“Um,” Kenma looked at Hinata not knowing what to say. Hinata knew that it was because his friend was overwhelmed by Bokuto’s big personality. He didn’t want to make his friend go through such anxiety, but Bokuto also would ease his own feelings about the situation with good distractions.

“It’s okay if you’re not okay with it, but I think I want Bokuto to come with. You don’t have to travel with us all the time but please stop by once and awhile,” Hinata smiled.

Kenma nodded. “I’ll stop by every couple hours or so to check up on you.” And he was gone, blending into the flora. 

They were all unaware of another's presence that was concealed in the nature around them.

*** 

“Why?!” Kageyama shouted at the older tiger-semifer, Oikawa. 

“Because sweet Tobio-chan, you’ve been out of line for too long and someone has to set you straight,” Oikawa mused and examined his nails.

“I’ve done nothing of the sort! All I’ve done is try to claim my rightful spot of lord of the jungle. I was next in line before your family showed up and took over.”

“You’re sure being a king right now, Tobio. And you’ve been one for the past couple of years. We’ve all been sick of it. So yes you are going to go after the man cub and kill him. Then and only then can you return,” Oikawa ordered. 

“Then I’ll take my rightful place?” Kageyama asked. 

“No. Then you’ll be allowed back in the clan. No one wants you here anymore. You’re too difficult to be around. You order people around like you’re in charge but you’re not. I am. I’m the only one to hand out orders. Go. And don’t come back until you bring me his arm with the tattoo so I know it’s him.”

“But-”

“No buts, we all want you gone, Lungri,” Oikawa sneered.

Kageyama bristled at the nickname that had not been used in years. It brought up memories he thought he had pushed away in the back of his mind. His leg ached as a reminder and he brought a clawed hand down to scratch at the scars that littered it.

Kageyama could almost see the tear between him and his clan. They all stood behind Oikawa and looked at him as if he was nothing. His ears turned back in fear and his tail puffed up in anger. He backed away slowly and then ran out of the building as fast as he could with his limp. He needed to make this right, and if killing the man cub would fix everything, then killing the man cub was what he would do.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I️ hope you enjoyed this longer chapter. 
> 
> :)


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kageyama attacks the group and the fight ends with many different feelings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Easter if you guys celebrate but if not I️ hope you're having a good day! This chapter is a tad longer, with around 4k words but I'm planning on making them longer when more action based scenes take place. The next chapter most likely won't be as long so I'll probably get it up in two days instead of three. 
> 
> Anyway, thank you for spending time reading this and I️ hope you enjoy!

Chapter Three

  
  


There were three of them all together. It was going to be tough, but not impossible. All he had to do was come up with a foolproof plan to successfully take out the man cub. His eyes wandered over the group and settled on the cat. The main problem was this panther, his reflexes and eyesight were much like Tobio’s, they would be equal in terms of reaction time. And he was smaller, able to move around quicker, not to mention he had fully functional legs. Kageyama decided that his size had benefits though, his strong body wouldn’t be as easy to take down then the panthers. If Tobio’s right leg was healthy, he would definitely win during a fight to the death, but he would probably end up dying after due to injuries. He had to get around that damn black panther no matter what.

Next his eyes glanced over to the loud bear. He must be stupid for being so loud. It gave them away more than the complex scent the group gave off. He was threatening in contrast because of his acute sense of smell. The first time that Tobio tried to pursue the group he had immediately heard the loud voice and identified that the man cub was traveling with a bear. He ran as fast as he could to get out of the bears scent range, which could be up to 18 miles away. 

Of course he didn’t travel that far because his clans territory was closer, so he just ran until where it was considered ‘normal’ for a tiger to be. While sprinting, he found a small waterfall with a pond and dove in. He scrubbed himself until he couldn’t smell anything but the pond water and heaved his soaking body out. His clothes clung to his body uncomfortably and he scowled in distaste. After gently ringing his tail, he hurried back to last place he heard the bear and continued tracking them down. 

Kageyama pondered whether that was the right call to make. Sure the bear had the most powerful nose in the jungle, but he didn’t seem alarmed the first time Kageyama was considered nearby. Tobio concluded he had to be more safe than sorry. He might not have been constantly sniffing the air, but that panther was sure to make him. Panthers were extremely intelligent and stealthy. It seemed as if this cat helped the bear out with basic survival almost. He gave him orders quietly, which Tobio could barely pick up even with his sensitive hearing. If the bear somehow got his shit together, they would be a hard duo to take down. 

Looking down from the understory to the forest floor, Kageyama’s eyes finally fell onto his prey. The man cub barely seemed 15 years of age, but Kageyama knew that human’s aged differently, he really couldn’t tell how old he was. It didn’t matter though, all he needed was to kill him and take his forearm back to Oikawa. He could see the flower resting on the boy’s left arm every now and then, but it was difficult to see from so far away. What wasn’t hard to see was the fluff of hair that the man cub wore. Tobio had never seen someone with such vibrant hair. It was most likely an aftermath of the gift the Kami gave him. The fire couldn’t be contained in that small of a body so it worked it’s way up into the color of his hair. Kageyama briefly wondered if the man cub’s eyes held the same spark. 

If Tobio could get the man cub by himself, everything would be easy enough. He would still need to find a way around his fire, but Kageyama wasn’t scared. His tail twitched at the thought of the man cub’s fire. Okay, he was scared, but not petrified like Oikawa. He guessed he couldn’t blame him. His parents were killed by humans. But could the man cub even be considered a human? He was raised in a world full of Semifer’s, he didn’t grow up training how to kill them. And how could someone so small even deliver any lasting damage? Kageyama tossed the thought out of his brain. If he started to sympathize with the human, he surely would not be able to kill him. Though it wouldn’t be hard to kill him with how annoying his voice was. He was almost as loud as the bear. They conversed with yells and it made Tobio’s head spin.

It was starting to become harder and harder to come up with a plan that would leave Kageyama unscathed. Sighing in despair, he jumped from tree to tree, following the group from a close distance. He had to try though, his clan was his home, and it would not be taken away from him. 

Though tigers in the wild hunted and lived alone, Tiger semifer’s tended to stick together in monarchies. It strayed away from their instincts, but it had been proven to slow the spread of endangerment and actually cause population to increase in the past few decades. The human half of their DNA longed for connection with others and resulted in the clan system.

Without a clan, Kageyama would be lost. He had considered running away once Oikawa’s family took over, but their protection allowed him to live with only a withered leg. He could have suffered a lot more, but the Oikawa’s had helped him strengthen his leg as much as possible. It now was just littered in scars of different sizes and made him limp slightly. The limp grew once the Oikawa family had been murdered except for their son, Tooru. He took the throne after they passed and had been in charge ever since. 

If Tobio could just kill the man cub, he would be able to return home. And then he could get strong enough to overthrow Oikawa and be the rightful lord of the jungle. It was easier said than done though. 

  
  


Tobio was distraught. Everything instinct was telling him that he couldn’t win the fight that he was going to start. The panther's cleverness and physical capabilities paired with the bear's sheer power would overtake him in an instant. Not to mention that the bear would smell him if he got too close. The smell of the pond would drown out his scent from a certain distance, but the bear would smell through the water easily if he came into range. Not to mention that the pond water wouldn’t cover his odor for too much longer with how rapidly it was drying on his body. He was starting to become more damp than soaking at this point. He would have to attack soon if he wanted to have the element of surprise. 

What was even more concerning was that a fourth presence kept appearing once and a while. If it was just every now and then, Tobio wouldn’t have given it a second thought. But this aura was steadily following the group, the same as him. It could be someone else out to get the man cub, or a silent protector. Neither option was preferred and it made Tobio’s hairs stand on edge whenever he sensed it. 

Luckily, the unknown figure wasn’t around now. Tobio had been following the man cub for a couple hours now, his time to strike was dwindling. If he could only lure them into an opening where he could fight easier. The sun was high in the sky and would be best to fight in. Kageyama knew that he shouldn’t wait till dusk, the panther would be most skilled then, even if the bear was not. It was better to take them on when he was strongest, not when one of them was weakest. A clearing would maximize his strengths and bring out his opponents weaknesses. 

An idea popped into his mind. It was risky, and a bit too animalistic for his liking, but it could work. If he sprayed in different places, he could force the group into a cleared area of the jungle. It went against the laws of his clan though. 

Spraying was only used to mark territory. Only Oikawa and his closest guards, mainly Iwaizumi, were allowed to spray. If anyone noticed his scent and identified him from it, he could be in huge trouble. He would be punished accordingly- wait. He was doing this to be let back into the clan. As far as it concerned him, Kageyama didn’t need to follow the rules that Oikawa had set up. He just had to kill the human. 

It was decided then. Kageyama jumped from tree to tree, searching for a clearing in the wood. He quickly identified a good place, roughly 500 meters away. It was a close call, but he didn’t know when he would get another chance like this. He had maybe 15 minutes to scent the trees in a way to make the group travel into the clearing. 

  
  


Kageyama jumped down to the forest floor, sniffing occasionally to make sure he was far enough away from the group and ran off to start spraying. 

***

Hinata was not bored. Bokuto, though not better than Kenma, was excellent at keeping him on his toes and having fun. Not even four hours had passed, but it seemed like forever since he had last seen his best friend. He promised to meet them for food later in the day, hoping that when Bokuto was eating he was quieter. Hinata chuckled to himself; Bokuto had been snacking since they left that morning on anything he could find. He even gave Hinata a weird looking fruit that pricked him when he reached out to grab it. Bokuto then went on about how you should always eat a prickly pear cactus with your claws. Akaashi had then told Bokuto quietly that Hinata didn’t have claws and his nails were short so he couldn’t hold the fruit like everyone else. 

He was tossed a pawpaw fruit by Bokuto after that, though he still didn’t know how to eat it. The skin around the fruit acted as a barrier and he found out quickly that he wasn’t supposed to eat that part. Akaashi held his hand out in a quiet invitation. Hinata handed him the fruit and his eyes widened as a sharp nail emerged from his index finger. He sliced the fruit open with ease then peeled it’s skin back, finishing by handing it back to the shorter teen next to him. Hinata forced his face to return back to a normal state and graciously accepted the tropical fruit. 

Getting into a fight with Akaashi was something Shouyou never wanted to do. Those claws were terrifying. Much worse than Bokuto’s that were flat at the ends. It was the first time he saw retractable claws in action from a semifer. He only knew cats could do that because a stray domestic cat had once made its way into his pack's territory and warmed up to Hinata. It stayed by him until Noya and Tanaka ran by him and scared it away. 

Hinata licked his hands for the upteenth because of the juice that kept falling from the electric fruit. He had been listening to Bokuto talk about one of his ‘many adventures’ when he ran right into the tall man's back. He realized that the boisterous voice had stopped chattering too. 

“A tiger just scented,” said Bokuto.

“You sure?” Akaashi questioned. 

Bokuto sniffed the air again and nodded. 

Hinata felt shivers run up his spine while Akaashi asked how close the predator was. 

“Not far, maybe 200 meters or so,” Bokuto contemplated. 

“Why didn’t you notify us when it was close?” Akaashi asked in almost a sneer.

“His scent isn’t in the air, just the spray marking.”

Akaashi paced in front of them for a few seconds. Hinata looked at Bokuto to find that the broad man was also confused. “That means it's a trap of some sort.”

“So, what do we do?” Hinata piped in but didn’t get the panther’s attention.

“Or it could just be that the tigers are extending their territory?” Bokuto guessed. 

Akaashi shook his head and continued pacing. His hand was brought up and picking at his lips that were mumbling words silently. Hinata looked around again and felt unease drip further into his body. 

“Shouldn’t we just keep heading the direction we were going and figure things out on the way?” Shouyou brought up.

Akaashi finally stopped his trot and looked at the redhead. “If the tiger is still near the marking it would be dangerous to just ignore it. I agree that we will have to figure things out as we go though. We don’t know what will happen. Stay in front of me and behind Bokuto at all times and for the love of the Gods do  _ not _ use your power.” 

Hinata looked at the panther in awe. He had never seen him so angry before. Granted, he only started to get to know him recently, but he never acted out like this. His judgement was always apparent but never so straightforward. He stood staring blankly while his new mentor walked in front of him and carried a more serious ambience to him. 

“Stay behind me at all times, you hear?” Bokuto said darkly. 

Shouyou looked behind him at Akaashi and saw that his tail had puffed up slightly and his ears swiveled around, searching for any sound in the nearby area. He nodded to both of them and they turned away from the scent and continued walking. 

While hiking, Hinata tried to make small talk to ease the tension but was met by a harsh glare from Akaashi. He looked down at the sharp claws that twitched by the panthers side and shut his mouth until further notice. 

They encountered more scent markings and soon figured out they were being led somewhere like rats in a maze. All they could do was avoid the scent markings and follow the trail that was made for them. Akaashi’s tail puffed up all the way and Bokuto seemed to struggle to keep down a roar. Hinata’s body warmed up in fear and he felt the familiar buzz of his power travel through his blood. He did what he could and tried to suppress the feeling as much as possible. 

After around 15 minutes of walking they found themselves in a big clearing. The ground was flat and there were no big rocks or trees to get an advantage point from. It was like an arena with the trees that surrounded the empty space. After observing their environment, Hinata’s eyes flew towards the man sitting on the one large rock in the field. 

A menacing look was painted on his face and his striped tail flicked threateningly. His black hair did nothing to hide his orange ears and Hinata knew he was tall even though he was only sitting. Confirming his suspicion, the tiger stood up from the rock and showed his true height. 

“What do you want?” bridled Akaashi. 

“Let’s make a deal. You hand over the boy and I’ll let you two live,” warned the tiger. 

“No deal,” Bokuto spat. 

“We’re taking him to the human village and away from the jungle. That was the deal before,” Akaashi grimaced.

“What? To let him grow up and come back to kill us?” squawked the tiger-semifer.

Akaashi had moved up in the front, the three of them forming a triangular shape with Hinata at the point. 

The tiger sighed and walked closer. Hinata could see a small limp in his step and wondered if his friends could see it as well. 

Bokuto glanced at Shouyou. “Go hide in the forest, we’ll come get you after.”

The tiger’s eyes opened slightly at that and he laughed loudly. “What, are the rumours not true? Can the man cub not fend for himself with his ‘powerful’ flames?”

Turning around, Bokuto reassured Hinata. “Don’t listen to what he has to say. We’ll deal with this son of a bitch easily-” 

He was cut off by the tiger surging forward to punch him but was blocked by Akaashi’s counter attack. 

“GO!” They both yelled and Hinata stumbled back to run, tripping over his feet in the process. 

Hinata ran as fast as he could, the trees blurring in his vision as the hot sun beat down on his back. He felt the tips of his fingers ignite and cursed softly, halting to a stop. He couldn’t control his power and was once again reminded in a frustrating way. He pulled his fingers into a fist to extinguish the flame as best as he could and looked back. 

The sounds of the fight were muffled by the layers of trees, but Hinata could still hear it clearly. He would not run away, he decided, and started marching back to the arena-like space. 

If Hinata would be a burden in the fight, the least he could do was watch from the canopy and maybe distract the tiger enough to let Akaashi and Bokuto get a hit in. Shouyou crouched low to the ground as he got closer and searched for a sufficient tree to climb as fast as he could. A large tree with many limbs stood out to him. It was a miracle that climbing trees was something he was well practiced in and he quickly made his way up onto one of the limbs. 

Shouyou steadied himself on the rocky branch and scooted as far out as his conscious would let him. He was maybe 20 feet up from the ground and directly above the fight that was taking place on the ground underneath him. Hinata hugged the tree and looked below. 

In the short time that passed, a lot of damage was taken on both ends. There was a huge scratch across Bokuto’s chest and his shirt soaked up the blood that was running freely from the wound. He also had a black eye and a bloody lip, not to mention he was placing little weight on his left foot. Hinata knew the bear would recover easily and turned his attention to Akaashi. 

He was in the middle of letting Bokuto catch his breath, Hinata could tell. He was taking the tiger one on one with an injured eye. He must have been scratched by sharp claws and his eye was swollen shut. Hinata concluded that the tiger was a dirty fighter. Akaashi was carrying his own, though steadily being pushed onto the defensive side. Shouyou heard him shout at Bokuto to get back and help him as he blocked a spin kick with his arm. Bokuto spat out blood on the ground and rushed back in by delivering a powerful punch to the tigers side when he was caught up in Akaashi’s attack. He grunted out in pain and jumped back to catch his breath. 

Both Bokuto and Akaashi charged at him, not letting him recover and assaulted him with joined teamwork. Akaashi used his elbows and quick kicks for short painful injuries that would leave the tiger off guard while Bokuto punched and headbutted when necessary. Hinata could follow Akaashi’s quick attacks, but just barely. They worked well in sync, but the tiger seemed to have stamina. 

“He has a bad leg!” Hinata called out.

Bokuto turned to him in confusion and got knocked to the ground by a powerful attack. He winced knowing it was his fault for Bokuto getting hit and heard Akaashi swear. Bokuto jumped right back up and restrained the tiger’s arms behind his back when Keiji tripped the tiger’s good leg and he fell on his bad, howling out in pain. Akaashi gave him a nice good roundhouse kick to the face and Hinata looked away.

Now held back, the tiger tried to fight back with his legs but to no avail. He could only fight with his bad leg, having to hold up his weight with his good one but he couldn’t succeed. He was a skilled fighter, Hinata knew that, but his opponents were stronger together. Hinata knew he would get his ass beaten by the semifer if he tried to fight him. He was glad he had such powerful friends to protect him. 

Hinata looked back to see Koutarou pop the tiger's arm out of place and heard the younger man roar in pain. He didn’t just see it happen, he could hear it dislocate and he covered his ears as fast as he could. He could hear the deafening scream of the tiger and he shut his eyes hoping that would make everything disappear. He uncovered his ears and heard skin hitting skin, Akaashi punching the tiger’s face over and over and over again until his face barely resembled the teen from before. 

Hinata climbed down the tree as fast as he could. He couldn’t take this. He hated violence. “Stop!” He yelled and collapsed on the ground next to them. The splatter of blood dripping on the ground made tears well up in his eyes. 

“He was going to kill you,” Akaashi stated with his hand around the man's neck. 

“I don’t care. He won’t come back after this. Just please don’t kill him!” Hinata cried and made eye contact with the tiger who was panting heavily. 

“Hinata, are you sure about this?” Bokuto questioned, the grip on the tiger loosening just a tad. The semifer tried to slip out of his grasp but the bear kicked his back hard, causing him to face plant into the ground. The tiger coughed out dirt and gasped for air. 

“Yes, let him go. I’ll go to the village just let him go. I know his kind wants me gone but it’s not worth his life.”

“We should do more damage to make him know not to come back and hurt us,” Akaashi suggested. 

Hinata cringed as he saw Bokuto nod. 

“We know how they act, Hinata. He’ll come right back once he’s healed. Or after your pack,” Bokuto informed. 

“Then I’ll do it,” Hinata stated. “Hold his head up.”

Bokuto grasped him by the hair and pulled his head up to look at Hinata. It was covered in blood and his glossy eyes glared up at him. Hinata turned to look at him and was met by being spit on with blood and saliva. He wiped it off with his shirt and knelt down in front of the man. 

“What’s your name?” 

“Like I’d tell you, scum,” the tiger mocked. 

Hinata closed his eyes and let the hum of his power grow in his fingers instead of trying to get rid of it. He conjured a flame on his index finger and brought it up to the cat's eyes. 

Hinata saw the fear in the tiger's eyes as he brought the flame closer and closer. “I asked what your name was.” 

“K-Kageyama,” He rushed. 

“You’ll never come back to hurt me or my friends again, you hear?” He glanced down at the tigers right leg that was covered in scars. As much as he didn’t want to, he knew that his senpais wouldn’t be satisfied if he didn’t hurt the cat in some way. The man's eyes followed and widened as he realized what Shouyou was about to do. He didn’t let his emotions control his actions though and he kept his mouth shut. He kept it shut even when Hinata’s finger made contact with his right thigh and seared into the skin.

Hinata almost gagged as he heard the skin sizzling beneath his finger and he turned his head away. He brought his finger back and felt the tears build up in his eyes again. “I-I can’t do this. Just let him go.”

“You barely did anything-”

“I said just let him go! And let’s set up camp. I don’t want to travel anymore today.” And with that he got up and walked away from the assassin that was sent to kill him and the dark side of his friends he never wanted to see. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I️ hope everyone enjoyed this chapter!! It was really fun to write and had a lot more descriptors than dialogue which I'm not used to writing but definitely need more practice on. Feel free to write a critique or share what you liked about the chapter below. I️ really love reading everyone's comments... they make writers block not so hard to break past. 
> 
> Till next time :)


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hinata and Kageyama have a little chat by the creek.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off I️ would like to apologize for my absence! College has been stressing me out so much because of this dumb quarantine. This chapter took me so long to write, I️ just couldn't figure out the right words. That is also why my chapter summary is total bullshit. I️ really appreciate all the comments and I️ hope I️ don't disappoint with this chapter! I️ will probably go back and edit this chapter for spelling errors later but I️ really wanted to get this out for everyone!
> 
> Also, the scene at the end was heavily inspired by the relationship between Zuko and Aang after Aang found out Zuko was the blue spirit

Chapter Four 

Bokuto and Akaashi did nothing to help Hinata’s morose mood. After Shouyou stormed off, Keiji and Koutarou had reluctantly followed his scent to where they were now. 

It was a dreadful place where they all were sitting. An illogical place to settle in for the rest of the day. They were resting in almost a ditch, the jungle floor climbing to their left and right. Not to mention that all the water from a creek nearby dripped down and made the earth soggy underneath them. Mosquitos and other pesky insects flew around them and more than once Hinata had choked on one that flew in his mouth. The older men tried to reason with him to search for a new place to stay but they were met with a lour and a cold shoulder. 

Akaashi had soon figured out that they were sitting in the place that Hinata had fallen in when he stomped away. He had lost his footing and tripped on the root of a nearby tree. The right side of his shirt was soaked through and his calf had a cut from a dead branch that he got caught on during the fall. 

He was better off than Bokuto and Akaashi though. One measly gash was nothing compared to the condition they were in. Bokuto had limped there and Akaashi already wrapped fabric around his bad eye, now red because of the blood that soaked through. 

Hinata begrudgingly let Akaashi wrap the wound with a piece of his ragged shirt and recited the tale after Bokuto had interrogated him on how he acquired the gash. Koutarou had chuckled after he heard what happened which caused Hinata’s mood to worsen. Akaashi had slapped him for that. 

Kenma had found the three like that an hour or so later and sat down next to his best friend with his knees brought up against his chest. “You’re upset,” he examined. 

“Wow, that’s very observant of you,” Hinata mocked. 

The latters eyes fell to the ground and he shuffled awkwardly. The silence consumed them, each of the semifers afraid to try to rationalize with Shouyou. The three whispered quietly to each other once in a while. Mainly Kenma asking whether or not he could help treat some of the wounds that they all had. He had helped though he was still unaware of what really happened. After half an hour had passed, Bokuto stated that he was going to find some wood to make a fire. Hinata didn’t speak up about how his flames could easily light any material and keep it burning. It was early in the afternoon, not even three o clock, but they were so low that the sunlight was filtered out because of the trees. It would only take a couple hours until they were submerged in darkness. Akaashi had insisted on going with, most likely wanting to get away from Hinata’s intense aura. Only Kenma was left. 

The snake shifted beside him and Hinata glanced in his direction. He knew he made his best friend feel unwelcome, yet the latter still remained. The guilt creeped into the back of his mind, trying to take over the jumbled mess that Hinata was thinking about. Even though Kenma was bad with emotions, he could always listen. 

Hinata waited a few more minutes to make sure the other semifers couldn’t hear him when he spoke up, “I’m sorry about before, it’s just,” he paused trying to figure out the right words, “I didn’t know that tiger’s were actually serious about killing me. One came to attack me and Akaashi and Bokuto seemed to turn into people I don’t know to deal with the threat. I don’t know what to think.”

Kenma stayed quiet, seeming to think of the best response. “We’re semifer’s, it’s entwined in our DNA to act like beasts sometimes. Especially when we’re passionate about what we’re fighting for.”

Hinata went silent in response. Thinking about the situation that way was a mixed blessing. It revealed that his friends cared about him and his safety, but it also cut the wound of isolation deeper. Just one more thing to add to the list that separated Hinata from everyone else he held dear. “I don’t think I could ever become that brutal.” 

His friend's face fell at that statement. 

Shouyou tilted his head in question. 

“You may be a human, but us semifers are not the savages of the world.”

“I-I didn’t mean it like that! Kenma c’mon, look at me.”

“It’s fine, Hinata.” 

The use of his last name hurt him more than any punch he had received. “... I’m sorry.”

The snake glimpsed at him and exhaled. “I don’t believe in the use of violence but that’s how the world works in certain situations. Even still I find myself wanting to hurt someone at times. We all are barbarians when a knife cuts too deep in an existing wound. Don’t be too surprised if you can’t recognize yourself in a mirror when all you see is red.”

Hinata felt the weight of that statement fall on his shoulders and made his body heavy with unease. That wasn’t what he wanted Kenma to say to him. He didn’t know what he wanted the teen to say to him, but it sure as hell wasn’t that. 

“I’ll come back tomorrow. I hope your mood will have improved by then. Goodbye,” nodded Kenma and stood up.

“Wait! Please don’t leave!” 

But he was gone in the blink of an eye, merely an after image carried away by the breeze. 

***

The man cub was nothing that Kageyama expected. He was...weak. Which would normally make Tobio ecstatic but it only made him livid. He seemed merciful but only because of his delicate mental state. The only thing threatening was his flames, which he barely had the courage to use. It infuriated Kageyama to no end. 

He had run away with his tail between his legs because of a damn child and his two protectors. He’d rather die than be humiliated like that again. He swore under his breath and fidgeted despite the pain that it caused him. 

He was sitting beside a stream, the cold water running over rocks and moss that covered the perimeter of the brook. The rock that was under him provided no comfort for his injuries, though it was flat and an easy place to stay still. The boulders were arranged in a way so that they resembled a chair which Tobio was grateful for. The sound of the water calmed his nerves as did the mist that sprayed his overheating body. The sun was hot on his head where the shock of black hair rested and he pushed back the urge to chop it all off. 

The shame he was feeling hurt almost as badly as when he treated his wounds. Popping the shoulder back into place was easy but hurt like a bitch. A silent scream left his mouth after he had done it and he rolled his shoulder just thinking about it. It was sore and would probably have bruising but at least nothing was broken. 

The water had washed away all the blood on his body, though it took some time scrubbing to get the coagulated ichor off his knuckles and face. It had reopened the lacerations that started to close but cleaning them was his top priority. He had no idea how to treat the burn that was starting to bubble on his right leg. Should he pop it? No, that was a stupid idea. He concluded that he should just leave it alone until someone who was medically trained could tend to it. Not that he knew if he would ever come in contact with someone like that soon. 

How could he return back home empty handed? There was no way he could beat the semifers that the man cub was travelling with, now more than ever since he had just received multiple lesions all over his body. He would be able to fight with the same bruises that littered his body, but the bigger injuries worried him. He didn’t want them to heal incorrectly. His right leg was evidence of that. He sighed, hoping that Oikawa wouldn’t do anything rash when he came back with nothing. He would rest for the rest of the day and head back tomorrow late morning. He couldn’t move due to the pain but he was optimistic that in a few hours he would regain his strength. 

It was dangerous to stay here, but there was little he could do to protect himself in this situation. Mustering up all the strength he could, tobio lifted himself off the rock and carried himself to the muddy bank to his left. The edge of the river had a small notch in it with a large leaf that hung above it and acted as much as a shelter as it could. He hissed in pain and dug his nails into his thighs as he staggered closer to his destination. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he flopped down in the mud face first. It was pathetic, a mighty tiger in such a pitiful position. 

Using his arms, Tobio pushed himself deeper into the small cavern and sighed in relief. The mud was cool against his face and he couldn’t bother to care how stupid he looked. All the mattered was to rest and figure out an excuse of why he couldn’t murder the human. 

***

The conversation that Hinata had with Kenma upsetted him more than he’d like to admit. After Kenma had left him, Hinata punched the ground next to him as tears threatened to spill. How could he have been so stupid? Everything in his life was going wrong. He needed Kenma more than ever and all he managed to do was anger him and push him away. Maybe leaving was the best thing he could do for everyone. 

As he calmed down from his meltdown, Akaashi and Bokuto arrived. Before they made it back to camp, Shouyou heard them. He didn’t want to talk to them. He didn’t want to push them away as well. He laid down as best as he could in the trench, pushing as many stray branches and leaves out of his way. His t-shirt and shorts were immediately soaked through, but Hinata wasn’t bothered. Squeezing his eyes shut, he heard the men approaching closer and tried to steady his breathing. 

Hinata ignored his friends' whispers and blocked out their voices. Sleeping would probably help. As he drifted off, he felt a cloth being draped over his body. 

When he woke, it was dark. Great, just what he needed. A fucked up sleep schedule. It was maybe just past midnight, he guessed. Shouyou smacked his mouth a few times, feeling the uncomfortable dryness. Sitting up he could see that both Akaashi and Bokuto were asleep. They probably wouldn’t notice him get up to get water if he was quiet. 

Determined, Hinata rose to his feet and stretched, blinking a few times to help adjust his eyes to the darkness that surrounded him. He stepped over the bodies that lay next to him and climbed out of the ditch. It was difficult, but Hinata managed to grab onto a vine to pull himself out without waking either of his escorts up. 

The jungle wasn’t silent at night. In fact, it was louder. More animals we’re awake and were out hunting for food. Hinata listened and picked up the noise of running water. The sounds were peaceful to Shouyou and he closed his eyes to listen deeper to the world around him. Not even a minute after starting to walk towards the rill, Hinata concluded that even if the fauna around him was peaceful, the flora was not. He was ceaselessly tripping over plants and spewed profanities that would make Daichi yell at him in a  stentorian voice . Suga wouldn’t care, for he cussed like a sailor as well. Shouyou frowned at the thought of his family and continued on in the dark. 

He found himself in the arena-like area where the fight had taken place. Maybe he self consciously took his body there, but Hinata was surprised nonetheless by his actions. He could still hear the splashing of the river though, so he knew he was travelling the right direction nonetheless. The open canopy let in the moon's light and illuminated the forest around him. It was beautiful, the water droplets on the plants glistening under the pale moonlight. Everything had a tinge of blue to it, except for the lightning bugs that glimmered a greenish yellow. 

What stood out to Shouyou was dark purply brown splatters on the ground as well as the greenery. It must be blood from before, he deduced. The blood wasn’t just pooled in one area though, a trail could be perceived if one looked a tad closer at the scene. Curiosity took hold of him and Shouyou saw his feet follow the drops of blood. Adrenaline pumped through his brain, silencing the forest out. The trees enveloped him and it got hard to see once again. Hinata conjured a flame on the tips of his fingers and held it in front of him for light. It was tricky to maneuver around the shrubbery and fallen branches without setting something on fire, but Hinata finally made his way to the end of the trail. 

With his arm stretched out for light, Hinata looked around but could see nothing. He sighed and put out the flame in relief. Slowly his hearing came back to him as his fear dissipated. The creek was close by now, Hinata sensed by the loud splashing. He stumbled around a bit before finally finding the running water and basically fell in. It was cold, but Hinata laughed in delight. 

Grabbing a handful, he washed his face and gulped a few swallows until he was satisfied. He missed water. He missed bathing with his friends and family. He missed being able to mess around in a small body of water with no care in the world. He laughed again, only sadness took over him this time. 

The water was shallow where he fell in. But he could tell that it got deeper the farther the river continued. He scooted forward on the rock he was sitting on and immediately fell into deeper water due to the current, unaware of the drop off. It felt like tiny needles piercing his skin, that’s how cold it was. It came up until right under his pecs, his t-shirt flowing in the stream though he was stationary. Aquatic plants brushed against his ankles, making a shiver run up his spine. 

He drew in a breath and submerged his head. Like he predicted, he couldn’t see anything. After he ran out of breath he resurfaced, only to make eye contact with a tiger semifer who was laying on the marshy bank.

“Ah!” Shouyou yelped and swam back in fear. It was the tiger. His eyes widened and he felt his heart thump in his chest. It was so loud he wondered if the tiger could hear it. 

“Shut up, I’m not going to hurt you,” whispered the tiger from the bank of the creek. He had mud caked on his face as well as on most of the front of his body. He looked much worse than Bokuto and Akaashi, different cuts scattered all over his body. Hinata felt himself relax a little, knowing that he couldn’t do much in his current state. 

“Like you could do anything,” Hinata surmised. 

The tiger jolted forward, ready to attack but was forced back down by his own body failing. He sucked in a breath due to the pain and let a small whimper out. 

Hinata cringed at the distressing sound and remembered that this tiger was more than just his enemy. He was his own living thing, capable of thoughts and emotions and pain and empathy and so many more things. He could have people who he held dear to him. 

“I’m sorry about what they did to you,” said Hinata in a wobbly voice. 

“I don’t need your sympathy. If anything, you should have let them kill me-”

“Why?! Don’t you have any pride?”

“It’s because I have too much pride!” Kageyama raged. His breathing had become heavy with fury. 

“Oh.” 

Kageyama didn’t respond. 

The tension dragged on and Hinata spoke up due to discomfort. “I don’t know you, but I know that you’re probably after me for a good reason. I don’t know how to change your mind, but I don’t want to see you as a foe. So if I could help you in any way-”

“Shut up. Like you could do anything,” Kageyama sneered. “What are you, 15? You can’t do jack shit. You can’t even protect yourself so you have other’s watch over you. You’re probably fawned over by your pack because of your special power.”

“I’m 18, you bonehead! And I’m not admired,” Hinata looked up with a grimace on his face. “I’m more of a burden. Why the hell do you think I have to leave anyway? If I could stand my ground I would. But I can’t. So I have to leave.”

Kageyama stared at him. He had never thought that this boy was 18, the same age as him. He took away what was least important in Hinata’s speech though. 

“I don’t care if you want me dead because I believe that there’s good in everybody. It doesn’t matter if you don’t believe that. If you don’t try to pursue me again I’ll know that you’re a good person. I feel that we could be friends, you and I.”

Kageyama felt his blood boil. How could this boy be so damn confident that everyone wasn’t inherently evil. He didn’t know anything about the real world. It infuriated Kageyama to no end. “You don’t know anything about me. You don’t know anything about this world!”

Hinata sighed at Kageyama’s anger and swam towards the bank. He pulled himself out of the water and ringed his shirt and shorts out on the mud beneath him. Kageyama had tried his best to back away from the short man, not knowing what he would do to him. Hinata produced a flame in his hand and Kageyama’s eyes widened. 

“If you’re going to kill me, just do it now.”

“You’re such a dumbass, you know that?”

Kageyama’s mouth fell open in astonishment. “What? No you’re the dumbass, dumbass!”

“Oh shush, I wouldn’t kick you when you’re down. I’m just trying to see. I don’t have good eyes like you cats.” Hinata walked to where Kageyama was sitting and sat a few feet away from him. 

“What are you doing?” Kageyama asked, now very confused by what the human was doing. His tail flicked with uncertainness by his side.

Shouyou ignored him. “What was your name again? Kabayama?”

“Stop trying to make small talk-”

“Maybe it was Kajiyama?”

“It’s Kageyama, alright! Now shut the hell up. I was sleeping before you got here.”

“Let’s start over, shall we?” Hinata asked with a small smile and stuck out his other hand. 

Kageyama swatted it away and crossed his arms as best as he could, his shoulder protesting. This human was weird. If only he had the strength to kill him here. Hinata was reckless, and also soaking wet. That dumbass would catch a cold. “We’re not doing this. I’m supposed to assassinate you. And believe me, I would if I could right now.”

Hinata’s face fell and he dragged himself up from the ground. “I hope your injuries heal, as well as that bad leg of yours. Maybe this could have worked out with different circumstances.”

Tobio watched as Hinata walked away, knowing that the pain in his chest wasn’t because of any physical injury.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading another chapter! I️ hope you enjoyed! Constructive criticism is welcome if done politely. Comments and kudos are also appreciated:) If ya'll want me to write more about other characters just let me know! I️ wouldn't mind adding extra scenes that aren't "necessary" for the story if you guys would want to see them.  
> Ex: Bokuto and Akaashi talking/bonding.  
> Ex: A little more DaiSuga  
> Ex: More Seijoh  
> Ex: Karasuno relationships 
> 
> Let me know what you would want included :) Thank you again for reading


	5. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hinata learns more about his friends through awkward conversations as well as through a kidnapping.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It has been too long IM SO SORRY!!! I️ meant to publish this chapter a couple days ago but shit happened and I️ was too stressed to write. I'll probably be posting every week (hopefully) but if not it doesn't mean I️'ve abandoned this fic. Don't you worry I️ have a plan set up so I️ can finish this. Anyway, I️ hope you like this long awaited chapter :)

Chapter Five

Hinata went to sleep again, or he tried to at least. His encounter with Kageyama replayed over and over again in his mind. He just couldn’t figure him out. It wasn’t even one in the morning, his friends had probably only gone to bed a few hours ago. The least he could do was try to sleep again. But it just didn’t work. He stayed like that, thinking about Kageyama until the break of dawn when Akaashi and Bokuto woke up. In that time, Hinata had come to a realization: if he gave Kageyama a second chance, he should treat his unfortunate situation in the same manner. He couldn’t change what was happening, but he could change his view about it, even if it seemed almost impossible. It was decided then, once Bokuto and Akaashi woke up he would try his best to have a positive outlook. 

Bokuto was astounded by Hinata’s change of heart and spun him around in a circle while carrying him by his armpits. A small chuckle escaped Shouyou’s mouth and he knew that this was for the best. He would apologize to Kenma the next time he saw him and he would make things right. He even caught a small smile from Akaashi when he thought Shouyou wasn’t looking. 

It was hard to be optimistic, but for Hinata to survive he knew he needed to. Maybe he could learn to control his flames more once he was with the humans. Throughout the short journey, he had already learned to conjure a flame quicker than before. He was making significant progress. If Koushi and Daichi would have let him practice more, he would probably have his power under control. Maybe that was spurious talk, but Shouyou liked to think that he could control his own gift. He couldn’t blame his guardians though, they were just making sure another occurrence wouldn’t happen again.

Even Akaashi would give him a look when he would let a flame dance across his fingertips while they were walking. He would have to practice at night if he didn’t want to get caught.

For the past couple hours, Bokuto was annoying Akaashi relentlessly. The bear was babbling about the history the two of them had, the many escapades they went on when they were younger and whatnot. Akaashi would blush every once and a while when Bokuto would call him by his first name and Hinata soon figured out that they had known each other for a very long time. He deduced that this was the first time they had seen each other since a couple months ago. Shouyou had no idea why they had not kept in touch, but the subject was touchy. He decided not to bring it up and just let the two of them enjoy each other’s company without any prodding questions. 

Bokuto had been generous enough to give Hinata a piggy-back ride when his legs got tired and Hinata now knew for sure that he made the best decision to have a change of mind. He had been roughly dumped on the ground when they stopped to rest. It was lunchtime now, and Hinata barely had anything in his bag he was carrying. They were supposed to arrive at the human village yesterday, but his outburst pushed their arrival back. Akaashi said that he would go out and find lunch, most likely because he couldn’t handle two loud personalities for too long. 

Bokuto and Hinata were sitting underneath a large weeping willow-type tree away from the sun. A river flowed to the left of them and Shouyou whipped off his shoes to soak his feet in the cool water. The heat was unbearable today, hotter than the previous days. They had to take many rests so far, but the sun was high in the sky, notifying the men that they needed to eat soon. Akaashi had been gone for a few minutes so Hinata inferred that the question he was begging to ask would be appropriate to bring up now. 

“What are you and Akaashi?” He asked as he splashed his feet in the clear water. Flowers from the tree above them fell in the river and floated down the stream. 

“Huh? What do you mean, Hinata-kun?” Bokuto asked and scooted next to his student, putting his own feet in the water as well. 

“You guys are close, but it seems like you haven’t been with him in a few months. Shouldn’t friends see each other more often?”

Bokuto chuckled and ruffled the shorter boy's hair. “Keiji needs his space, so do I. But yeah, I guess we haven’t seen each other for a hot moment. If I had it my way we would be together a lot of the time, like when we were kids.”

“So what happened?” Hinata turned to look at the bear’s face. A sad smile decorated it and Hinata couldn’t understand what his senior was feeling. Hinata knew he was being insensitive to keep questioning, but he cared about his friends’ wellbeing as much as his own.

“You’re naive and innocent, never change. You’ve been sheltered, I don’t know if that’s good or bad but you’ve yet to know how the world of semifer’s work. We make allies with other semifers but it’s kinda a non-spoken rule that species don’t mix.”

“Wait you mean you and Akaashi-”

“Yeah. Our families were allies and lived near each other, so naturally we became friends. And then a little more after time. His family and mine were a rare situation really. I guess you could say we were family friends. You have to understand that this never really happens. Semifer’s are friendly with their own species, not really with others.” 

Hinata’s mouth fell open. “That’s bullshit!”

“What-”

“Why can’t all semifer’s get along? Akaashi knows my pack and they’re pretty open to other semifer’s, so why aren’t others?” Hinata yelled.

Bokuto sighed. “It’s just the way this world works. Akaashi only knows Sawamura and Sugawara because of connections Akaashi’s parents had. And your pack is kinda unusual from the outside, none of you are related. It’s a pack made up of wolves who needed help or lost their previous packs. 

“Anyway, Akaashi and I learned how the world worked when we grew up and moved out. We stayed together for a few years, hopping from place to place until we came across other semifer’s. Let’s just say they found it a little strange to see a panther and a bear traveling together. Our parents had raised us in a different way from the norm and it came to bite us in our asses. Keiji decided it would be best if we were just allies from then on, only seeing each other when we crossed roads.”

Hinata looked down and started plucking grass from the bank they were sitting on. He knew that the world of semifer’s was different from what he grew up with, but not this different. It felt like he was being punched in the face with reality. 

“How long has it been since you’ve last seen him?”

“About a year or so. We split up a couple years ago, I’ve seen him around since then but it’s been a while,” revealed Bokuto. 

“You guys seem like nothing is wrong between you two. Just like friends who haven’t seen each other in a while,” Shouyou pondered. 

“It’s best to act that way around others, don’t want to cause a scene and release pheromones to alert others. You missed it when you fell asleep though, Akaashi and I had a little bit of an argument. He didn’t want me to accompany you guy’s any longer. He thanked me for fighting beside him but insisted that he could escort you the rest of the way. Like hell I’m letting that happen!”

“You’re a good guy, Bokuto. You gave me advice when we first met, now it’s time for me to give you some. You should follow your heart. ‘The bare necessities of life will come to you?’ Meeting Akaashi again was destined to happen, it literally  _ came  _ to you! Akaashi is one of your necessities, you have to let him know how you feel,” Hinata rushed. He looked over at Bokuto and saw the sad smile again. He only hoped his message got through to the man. 

Suddenly, Akaashi came back to their resting area carrying an assortment of fruit he had found. Hinata could tell that the conversation he was just in was over by the fake smile Bokuto had on his face. If Bokuto wanted to talk about it more, he would. For now, Shouyou should just enjoy the food Akaashi had brought and drop the subject. 

The break was much needed and the boys spent their time eating and checking their wounds. Bokuto’s ankle was better but still bugged him occasionally, a slight sprain due to a dislocation. Akaashi had rewrapped it for the taller man and also changed the bandages that were wrapped around Bokuto’s chest. Now that Hinata knew about the past between the semifers, he could see the tension between them while Akaashi had cleansed Bokuto’s torso lesions. A light pink dusted both of their cheeks when Bokuto had to remove his shirt. Hinata looked away, feeling that he was intruding on something intimate. 

Once Bokuto put his shirt back on, Akaashi had taken the bandages off of his own eye and rinsed it in the river gently. Hinata didn’t know if that would be enough for it to heal properly and expressed his concern with the man. Akaashi had assured him that he would get his hands on medicine after they had dropped him off at the village which caused Hinata to feel ashamed that he had caused the delay. 

The cut on his leg was looking better than yesterday, most likely because he had taken a bath the best he could in the tiny creek he had found last night. Hinata pondered whether he should let Bokuto and Akaashi know about his encounter with Kageyama, but decided that it would hurt more than help. For all he knew, Kageyama was long gone and wouldn’t mess with them again. He probably wouldn’t see Kageyama again if he was lucky. 

Akaashi had changed out the bandage and informed them that they should start back up again. Bokuto and Shouyou both groaned.

“Why can’t we rest more?” Bokuto whined.

“We’re already behind schedule. I’m supposed to report back to Sawamura-san once Hinata has reached the village. He will be getting worried soon. I told Kenma last night to tell him that we were-”

“Wait! Kenma was here last night?” Hinata exclaimed.

“Yes, he had stopped by to see if you were alright. You were asleep already,” Akaashi clarified. 

“He was kinda quiet, is he always like that?” Bokuto questioned.

“...yeah,” Hinata mumbled. So Kenma had come back. Shouyou wished he could have been awake to give a proper apology. 

“Anyway, I requested that he would be our messenger, he is supposed to come back later today to tell me Sawamura’s response. So yes, we should get going now.”

The trio was walking again, though the weather was getting worse by the minute. They had to stop every couple minutes for one reason or another. 

After too many pit stops, Bokuto spoke up. “Hey Akaashi, is the village the same way that river is flowing?” He pointed to the river that they were just eating lunch by. 

Akaashi nodded but instantly regretted it because of the look Bokuto got on his face. 

“What does that mean? Wait- AH!” Hinata screamed as Bokuto picked up the teen and threw him in the river. 

The cold water gave Shouyou and instant relief, though it did shock his body more than he’d liked to admit. While underwater he heard another splash and figured out that Bokuto had just jumped in. He was grabbed by strong hands and raised out of the water in a spluttering mess. 

“Akaashi get in! The water’s great!” Bokuto whooped and threw Hinata right after he finished coughing water out of his lungs. 

“You’re going to drown the poor kid,” Akaashi ridiculed. 

Bokuto swam towards the younger man and grabbed his ankle.

“Koutarou you know this is a bad idea, let go. I’m serious.”

“I know you are,” Bokuto grinned and pulled the panther in. 

Hinata cackled at Akaashi’s face when he resurfaced. The panther did not look happy one bit. After messing around a bit, the three of them found themselves floating lazily down the river, holding on to each other so they would stray far. As much as Keiji hated to admit it, this was better than walking under the scorching sun, and they didn’t have to use as much energy.

Hinata looked up at the sky, the tree's leaves blocking parts of his view. No clouds could be seen, which was unusual since it rained quite a lot. It was nice drifting down the river and Shouyou closed his eyes in bliss. Every once and awhile Bokuto would crack a joke and it almost felt like home. Like Yuu and Ryuu were beside him and wrecking havoc. 

It was quite staggering to see Bokuto with his hair down. His round ears popped out more and his hair clung tightly against his head. He looked like a different person. Akaashi was not much different, though he looked as scrawny as ever, even more because his clothes were soaked against his body. His tail looked like a black noodle in the water, the fur sticking together due to the water. Shouyou hoped that soaking in the river would help all of their injuries and provide relief to the pain that they caused. 

From Shouyou’s point of view, both of his friends looked quite relaxed, both floating on their backs with their eyes closed. Hinata sighed with content and closed his eyes as well only to be startled by nimble hands grabbing his body. He tried to call out but felt cloth cover his mouth and eyes. With ease he was yanked out of the water and into the trees above him. One of the kidnappers dipped into the water gently from the tree and lay beside the bear where Hinata had previously been.

“Hey Hinata, mind doing me a favor and swatting the fly off my nose?” Bokuto asked, unaware that Shouyou had been snatched.

The silver haired semifer who replaced Shouyou chuckled to himself and whacked the bear on the nose with his hand. 

“Hey! When I say flicking it off my nose I didn’t mean to actually slap me! Wait! Where’s Hinata?” Bokuto yelled as he looked at the monkey that smirked at him. Akaashi stood up and stared at the monkey as well, anger pumping through his veins. 

“Up here! C’mon and get if you can, champ!” A monkey with a mostly shaved head yelled from above, dangling Hinata by his arms. 

“He’s not a champ! He’s a chump, that’s what he is!” yelled a bouncy monkey with spiked up hair similar to Bokuto’s. 

The shaved haired one tossed Shouyou to him and they seemed to play a game of catch. As they laughed, the tall silver haired one climbed back up in the tree and swung up to meet his buddies. They mocked Bokuto and threw fruits at him as they carried Shouyou away. 

“Akaashi what are we going to do! They stole Hinata!” Bokuto yelled as they watched the monkeys swing away in the treetops. 

Akaashi sighed and trudged out of the water. “They’re going to their home in the ancient ruins. Don’t know what Hinata is going to do once he meets their king.”

“You know them?!”

“I know  _ of  _ them,” Akaashi corrected and helped pull the bear out of the water. “Let’s go, we have to follow them and get Hinata back.”

***

When Hinata was finally placed down again, it was on a hard cement surface. The blindfold was removed and he gasped for breath. The room was spinning around him, being tossed around had made him nauseous. On the way to wherever he was he had heard Bokuto call out for him, along with some other choice words he didn’t want to repeat. 

It was dark in the room he was in. The walls were covered in roots and he could hear a distant  _ drip drip  _ of water. It was musty in the dank area and Hinata scrunched his nose in distaste. He had yet to see whom his captors were but he guessed it was a group of monkeys by how fast they traveled through the canopy. 

Dragging himself off the clammy ground, Hinata walked towards the one area that light was being filtered in. It was an arched doorway, though it was falling apart around the edges. Hinata peeked his head though trying to find some sort of life. He seemed to be in some structure, though it had not been properly tended to and the jungle had claimed it as its own. It was an alluring sight to see. Places that had been taken over by nature were something beautiful yet horrifying.

Hinata tiptoed his way out of the arched doorway and found himself in a bigger room. It was well lit, the sun cascading into the open architecture. The roots from before followed into the big area and Shouyou’s eyes trailed them all the way to a huge tree that had grown into the ruin. It was outside the chamber he was in and he sprinted over to get a closer look. He ran his hands over the bark. He avoided tripping just barely on the rubble and various plants that had sprouted up through the rock. Captivated by the tree, Hinata failed to notice the thick rope that was strung up all around the ruin as well as various hammocks that were hanging. Most importantly though, Hinata failed to notice a winsome man sitting on a pair of mossy steps. 

“Captivating, isn’t it?” The man called out and leaped down from the stone. 

Hinata whipped his head around finally aware of the man's presence. He eyed the semifer up and down and discovered that his suspicion about his kidnappers was correct. The monkey semifer had a sly look, but Hinata couldn’t pinpoint what about him appeared this way. It could be his unruly bedhead that caused his hair to fall over one of his eyes, or it could be his swagger.

“Not talking? Well I guess it is a little rude for me to not introduce myself-”

“No, it’s a little rude to kidnap me,” Hinata affronted. 

The smirk on the man’s face deepened. He stuck out a hand and said, “Kuroo Tetsurou, sovereign of Nekoma.”

“But you’re a monkey,” Hinata pointed out in question.

Kuroo’s face darkened. “Spider monkey. Don’t relate us to some baboons! You come from Karasuno, a pack of wolves. With a name like that I would expect you to be a murder of crows. Names are deceiving, and so are looks, Hinata Shouyou.” Kuroo eyed Shouyou and sauntered around him in a circle. 

Hinata felt awkward underneath the spider monkeys glare and grew even more uncomfortable when the latter’s tail traced its way over his limbs. “H-How do you know who I am?” asked Hinata in a sheepish tone.

“It’s not just me, kid. It’s this whole jungle. You think we don’t remember what happened ten years ago? You think Blue Castle just found out about you? They were just waiting till you turned 18 so they could kill you without remorse. You’re an adult now, they don’t have to worry about regretting killing a child.”

Hinata sucked in a breath, his whole body stiffening. Daichi and Koushi had told him that Aoba Johsai had only just found out about his existence, there was more to this then they all knew. 

Kuroo was right behind him now; his hands resting on Shouyou’s shoulders, his tail wrapped around his thighs. He leaned in close to his ear and Hinata’s eyes flicked over to look at the semifer, the rest of him petrified. 

“Lucky for you, we want you on our side.”

“We?” Hinata choked out. Kuroo grasped his chin and tilted it upward. 

Overhead, monkey semifers were hanging from the ropes and trees that were in the area. Hinata hadn’t even heard them. They were all hanging by their tails, some were even upside down. But one thing in common was that they were all staring at him.

“I’ll make a deal with you. If you lend us the red flower, we’ll protect you from Blue Castle. How does that sound?” Kuroo offered and grabbed hold of Hinata’s wrist and dragged a nail across the scarlet camellia that adorned it. 

Meanwhile, Akaashi and Bokuto had just made it to the ancient ruins and were listening behind a well crafted column. They were both panting, and still soaking wet from their swim, but they had more pressing matters to deal with. 

“Hinata’s fire! So that’s what that scoundrel's after,” muttered Akaashi. 

Bokuto cracked his knuckles and stood up. “I’ll tear him limb from limb. I’ll beat him out. I’ll-”

“Oh would you stop that,” hissed Akaashi as he smacked the bear and pulled him back into a crouched position. “This will take brains, not brawn.”

“You better believe it and I’m loaded with both!” flaunted Bokuto. 

Akaashi sighed and turned his attention back to the matter at hand. They would need to come up with a plan to rescue Hinata. But what would work?

The monkey’s had gathered closer and awaited Hinata’s answer. 

“Give him some room, Kuroo. You’re making him hyperventilate,” a small spider monkey said and walked over to them. He had short chestnut hair that his brown ears popped out of. 

“Yaku shush would you? I don’t need your dissenting opinions all the time,” Kuroo said to the one apparently named Yaku. Hinata felt himself relax a little as Kuroo’s tail unwrapped itself from his body and when his wrist was released from the tight grip. Kuroo’s hands had freaked him out, his fingers much longer than his own and resembled a hook.

“Guys, back me up!” Kuroo yelled and stared at the other monkeys. A few of them chuckled but none came to help him. The tension was almost gone in his muscle’s and Hinata sighed with relief. 

Kuroo darted back to him and got right up in Shouyou’s face. “Don’t believe for a second that I’m not watching you. The rest of the lot will tell you the details of this arrangement but if I catch you trying to escape, you’re dead.” And with that he lifted himself onto one of the ropes by his long tail and made his way to sit on his mossy chair. 

“He’s not that bad of a guy,” a man who resembled Bokuto slightly smiled. “He just wants to make sure you’ll ally with us.”

“He really should have talked to me without all the kidnapping and maybe I would seem more open to the idea,” Hinata grumbled. 

“He just didn’t want to deal with that panther and bear you’re travelling with. Oh! By the way, I’m Inouka, and this is Lev,” Inouka informed and pointed to one of the tallest people Hinata had ever seen. 

“We helped kidnap you, along with Yamamoto,” Lev laughed and rested his arm against Yamamoto. The shorter man threw his arm off and grumbled, giving Hinata a threatening look. He reminded Shouyou of Tanaka. 

“You’re supposed to be telling him his part of the deal, not making friends,” Yaku scolded, though it seemed his anger was directed more at Lev than Inouka. Yaku reminded Shouyou of Suga, making him homesick because this tribe reminded him so much of his own pack. 

“Oh yeah!” Inouka chuckled and turned back to Hinata. “Basically if you agree to team with us we’ll protect you as best as we can. You just have to use your power whenever we need it, for any circumstance. At least I think that’s what Kuroo said. He was going to surprise The Brain with you-”

“The Brain?” Hinata asked, more confused now than ever. 

Lev jumped in to clarify. “He’s this guy who helps Kuroo make decisions. He kinda made us a troop to be feared of, made us higher up in the jungle hierarchy. He doesn’t seem to like me that much though, always makes weird faces when he has to interact with me.”

“That's because you don’t listen to him and frustrate him! We don’t see him that often, apparently Kuroo has known the guy since childhood so he trusts him. We don’t even know his name. Kuroo just calls him The Brain whenever he’s around,” Inouka added.

Hinata stared at them in awe. That must be so weird to have someone behind the scenes deciding your teams every move. It seemed like they didn’t care, or just trusted this Brain guy as much as their leader did. Hinata didn’t know whether he could have the same blind trust that all of Nekoma had. Even though these guys were really nice, that didn’t change the fact that Hinata knew this was more than just a negotiation. He didn’t want to know what would happen if he refused or told Kuroo that he couldn’t even control his power. He looked down at the tattoo on his arm and questioned for the upteenth time why he was given Kagu-tsuchi’s power of flames. 

Akaashi had gone over the plan with Bokuto three times now, all he could do was hope that the bear had listened. He seemed to be getting antsy waiting for Akaashi’s signal as he kept glancing over at him from where Keiji had left him. He flicked his head down at the scene below him to try to get Bokuto to pay attention but it seemed that he thought it was the signal. Akaashi whispered as loudly as he could to get Bokuto’s attention but the bear was already down on the main level where all the monkeys were. Akaashi watched helplessly and scrambled as fast as he could to the other side of the ruin to get a closer look in case he had to step in. 

Hinata glanced around as he laughed at the joke Yamamoto had made. He knew that Akaashi and Bokuto were around here somewhere, but he couldn’t try to help them in any way in fear of what Kuroo would do. All he could do was wait until they thought of a plan to get him out. Which seemed to be sooner than Shouyou thought, as he caught a glimpse of Koutarou concealing himself behind a mound of rubble. Maybe they would ambush the monkeys? But Hinata didn’t want to hurt these semifers. Even though they had kidnapped him, they still showed him kindness. Hinata knew that even though he had just met Inouka and Lev, they were his friends and so were the others in the tribe.

“What are you looking at?” Kuroo interrogated and swung down to the ground where they were sitting. 

Hinata opened his mouth to answer but didn’t know what to say. He made eye contact with Bokuto and Kuroo turned in the direction Shouyou was looking. 

“It’s that bear from before!” Kuroo yelled and grabbed Hinata by the neck. “You weren’t trying to escape, were you?”

Bokuto rushed out from behind the rubble but was held back by the older monkeys that were previously quiet and calm. 

“Wait! You can’t do anything to him, The Brain doesn’t even know he’s here! Lets wait to see what he says!” Inouka pleaded. 

“Fine. But until then, let's kill the bear and find the panther that was with them,” Kuroo agreed and dropped Hinata onto the hard ground. 

Hinata’s hand shot up around his neck and he coughed violently, trying to get as much air as possible. He hadn’t been choked long, but it felt like he was drowning. “I’ll never make a deal with you if you even lay a hand on either of them,” Shouyou croaked. 

Kuroo squatted down and looked at Hinata’s weak form. “You don’t have a choice at this point, man cub.”

“Then I guess it’s okay for me to tell you that I can’t control the flower. And even if I could, I would never use it for your selfish needs,” seethed Hinata. Then Hinata did something he never thought he would do, he spit on the monkey's face just like how Kageyama had spit on his.

He was yanked off the ground and thrown back down roughly. His head hit the rock underneath him and he felt the bang vibrate throughout his whole body. A long limb wrapped around his hands, keeping them constrained as Kuroo’s foot connected with his stomach. Hinata clenched over in pain and closed his eyes shut. The familiar tingle buzzed on his fingertips and he felt both of his hands ignite. 

“Fuck! You burned me you little prick!” yelled Kuroo as his tail recoiled from Hinata’s hands. “If you’re not going to join us, then I guess I’ll have to keep you prisoner so that you can’t hurt us. I heard it’s rumoured a humans power will disappear if you cut off the limb the tattoo is on. Let’s find out.” 

Kuroo then pulled out a knife that was stashed in his pants pocket and brought it down to Hinata. He grabbed his arm and pulled it straight, avoiding the flames as much as possible. Hinata was still recovering from the kick to the torso and could do nothing. His brain was telling his body to move but he was frozen. His ears rang and he tasted blood. His eyes opened to see Kuroo bring the knife down, almost in slow motion. Shouyou closed his eyes and prayed that it wouldn’t hurt too bad. 

Seconds passed and nothing happened. Shouyou opened one eye and then the other, expecting to still see Kuroo bring down the blade but instead he saw something he never would have guessed. 

Kenma was standing in front of him. He held Kuroo by the neck, lifting him off the ground even though the man was much taller than him. His scales flashed in the sun and reflected into Hinata’s eyes. Shouyou backed away and drew a hand up to block the sun. Was he seeing things right? He rubbed his eyes and peered up again from the pile of rubble he was laying on. It was Kenma. 

It shouldn’t be possible for him to hold Kuroo off the ground with just one hand, but he was doing it with ease. His eyes were slits and sent daggers towards the monkey king. 

“L-let me go,” Kuroo rasped as he clawed the hand that was wrapped around his neck.

“You know I’m a python, Kuroo. I could snap your neck with ease if I tightened my grip just a tad more. You have to promise not to attack Shou-chan.” Kenma daunted. 

“I promise,” strangulated Kuroo and slapped at Kenma’s hand. He fell to the ground hacking after Kozume let him go. 

Kenma turned around and kneeled down to Shouyou’s level. 

“Kenma-” Hinata said in a wobbly voice and was brought into a tight hug by his friend. He cried, actually bawled into his best friend's shoulder all the while mumbling  _ I’m sorry  _ over and over again. 

Kenma rubbed his head like Suga did and held him tight for a few more seconds until releasing him. He helped him stand up and made sure he wasn’t injured too bad before turning around.

Hinata came back to his senses and could hear whispers all around him.  _ It’s The Brain,  _ and,  _ Look! The Brain just stopped Kuroo  _ floated all around him. He stared at Kenma in awe. “You’re The Brain?”

Kenma nodded and turned around. Hinata then realized that he didn’t know much about his best friend. He knew his emotions and whatnot, but not what his outside life was. Not what his past was. 

After Kuroo stopped wheezing he looked up at Kozume. “Why did you stop me?” 

“Shouyou is my friend. He is just as important as you are in my life,” Kenma said softly. 

“You have never talked about him.”

Kenma nodded again and looked at the ground. Hinata knew that there was more that needed to be discussed to clear the situation up. But he felt so tired, and all he wanted to do was sleep. He slumped to the floor again and saw Kenma drop down beside him in worry. Kenma was speaking, but he couldn’t hear him. He looked at the monkeys, then at Kenma, then to Bokuto, and lastly he spotted Akaashi out of the corner of his eye before he blacked out. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There it is! I️ cut the end of this chapter because my writers block just got to me, but I'll just cover what I️ meant to write in later chapters. I️ think it was a good idea to end this here because it keeps me on my toes and adds more to the story than I️ was planning. Your characters should always surprise you, so I️ decided to just go with the flow and add some random plot elements haha. Anyway, kudos and comments are appreciated and thank you for reading!!
> 
> PS, I️ will be covering the relationships I️ talked about in the notes of the last chapter but I️ have to wait till chapter seven to add some of them. I️ haven't forgotten!


	6. Chapter Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kageyama limps back to Aoba Johsai and Oikawa decides to play a little game.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! This chapter is where the story really picks up. I️ was waiting for this chapter for a long time and I'm glad I️ finished writing it. I️ wish it was a tad longer, but I'll try to make up for it with later chapters. 
> 
> Also, I️ drew Kageyama!   
> https://www.instagram.com/p/CABPGyVgIaq/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link   
> This is how I️ imagine him when I️ write (not naked ofc haha but I️ wanted to show that there is a trail of fur down his back). This fur is on all the characters except Hinata, and Kenma so far. Each character has fur on their back from their other species. :)

Chapter Six

When Kageyama woke up he noticed that the birds were already chirping. He had wanted to wake up earlier to check on his injuries and also wash the caked mud off his body, but he had unfortunately slept in more than he would have liked to. He sighed to himself, knowing that he would have to rush to knock everything off his checklist. 

Pushing himself up into a sitting position was more difficult than he hoped for. His muscles protested the movement and he groaned because of the ache. Now sitting up, and slightly out of breath, Kageyama assessed the situation he was in. He had failed his mission, big time. And he couldn’t go after Hinata, no - the man cub in his condition. He needed to bathe and clean his wounds as quickly as he could, then he would start his way back to Aoba Johsai’s territory and beg to be let in for medical treatment. Oikawa was callous, but not enough to refuse to help Tobio, at least that’s what Kageyama hoped. 

On the count of three, Kageyama stood up and held back his whimpers. The water would loosen his muscles and make it easier to move around as well as cleanse. The edge of the river came closer and closer with each unsteady step. He hissed in pain as he lowered himself into the stream and felt the freezing water make contact with his skin. It wasn’t refreshing, quite the opposite really. It stung in his cuts and made moving around unbearable. But Tobio knew he had to wash the dried sludge off his body so he sucked in a breath and dipped under the water. He scrubbed his face and tried his best to wash the rest of his body without too much irritation. 

With a huff, Tobio hauled himself out of the water and shook himself dry. Though it was a dreadful experience, his body did seem looser, so hiking back wouldn’t be too much of an issue. Of course it would hurt like hell on unsteady ground where he would have to contort his body in different ways to pass, but a flat trail wouldn’t be that bad. He stretched as best he could to loosen his body even more and started his way back to Blue Castle.

It took around four hours to get back into tiger territory, the journey passing by excruciatingly slow. His normal pace was slower than most thanks to his right leg, but this was just pitiful. Most would take about an hour, tops. Tigers’ were flexible enough to jump over the cluttered first floor with ease and still keep a decent pace. Kageyama, on the other hand, was constantly tripping over roots and rocks that blocked the path. 

It might have been the adrenaline that let him continue walking. Scratch that. It was definitely the adrenaline that allowed him to keep lumbering back to Sei Joh. He knew the pain was there, but he was numb due to the anxiety that coursed through his veins. The fear of not belonging anywhere was present in his mind, though he tried to suppress it. It was an unwanted guest that made Tobio’s mind it’s home. No matter how much Kageyama tried to get rid of it, it would just take up more space until it made his brain it’s home. 

At last, he arrived. 

Kindaichi and Kunimi were guarding the outside gate to the fortress and spotted him immediately. Tooru never had guards at the front gate, maybe he had posted them there waiting for Kageyama to return. Tobio looked like shit, he knew that for sure. Before leaving, Oikawa had forced him to change into a T-shirt and cargo pants, leaving his uniform back. His shirt and pants were torn and he knew he was still damp from his ‘bath,’ it was no wonder that his peers looked at him with judgement. 

They were wearing what Kageyama used to; a lavender shirt with the top buttons undone, and khakis that cut off at the shins. Tobio had always questioned why Oikawa forced a uniform onto the clan, but he did have to admit that they looked stronger when they all matched. 

“Why are you back, Lungri?” hectored Kindaichi. 

Kageyama ignored the nickname and made eye contact with the teen. “Let me in, I need to speak to Oikawa-san.”

“He doesn’t have the arm,” Kunimi whispered to Kindaichi. 

“I need medical treatment too,” Kageyama added, hoping they would take pity on him. 

“If you get us in trouble with higher-ups, I’ll kill you,” Kindaichi sneered and opened the gate. 

Kageyama staggered inside, starting to feel the aftermath of walking for four hours. 

“You hear that! I’ll kill you!” called Kindaichi as Tobio made his way up the steps to the citadel. 

Feeling more than exhausted after climbing the cobbled stairs, Tobio knocked on the main entrance. Fortunately, Iwaizumi opened the door and his eyes widened at the sight of Kageyama. He ushered him in and quietly asked what happened as he led the way out of the arched foyer to Oikawa’s meeting room. Kageyama tried his best to recite the story, but he felt dizzy and his tongue was heavy in his mouth. Not eating the past couple days had got to him. His heart beat rapidly in his chest and his skin felt hot. He closed his eyes, the natural sunlight and lamps too much for the headache he just realized he had. 

Next thing he knew, he was sitting in a chair and he felt a glass of water be pushed in his hands. He took it and chugged it down, only for it to be refilled again. Opening his eyes slowly, he saw Hajime sitting next to him. He was in the east wings meeting room, he concluded. A long ovular table stretched out in front of him and there were chairs surrounding it. He only knew he was in the east wing because of the skulls that hung on the wall. It was the humans that killed Oikwa’s parents. He hated this room and his leg ached at the thought of what had taken place so long ago. 

“Are you feeling better?” Iwaizumi asked.

Kageyama nodded but still felt the pounding in his head. “I need to talk to Oikawa.”

“I’m not sure he’ll be too happy you’re back without the man-cub’s arm but if it means anything, I’m glad you’re back,” Iwaizumi smiled and stood up from his chair. He walked out of the room and Kageyama knew that he had maybe five minutes to come up with a decent excuse and also convince Oikawa to at least let his injuries be healed by a professional. 

Kageyama closed his eyes and waited until he felt the cold presence of Oikawa enter the room. 

“Back already, Tobio-chan?” Oikawa said in a thin voice. 

“Let me explain-”

“I don’t think so. I’ve already talked to Kunimi and Kindaichi. They said you didn’t kill the man-cub and that you’re here to beg for your spot back in the clan and receive free medical treatment. Am I correct?” Oikawa impugned. 

Kageyama opened his mouth to argue back but closed it because he had nothing to say. That was exactly why he was here. 

“I asked if I was correct!” Oikawa snarled and grabbed Tobio’s face roughly and made him look at him. His eyes were wild and his fangs were bared. He protracted his claws and let them dig into the boy's cheeks, blood bubbling from the pricks he made. 

“Yes,” Kageyama said weakly and Oikawa let go of his face roughly. He moved his jaw experimentally and wiped the blood off his face with shame. 

Oikawa paced around the room leisurely and Iwaizumi shifted his weight between his two feet as he guarded the door. The lamps flickered against the stone walls as Oikawa waltzed past them. He ran his nail across a cleanly sculpted support column and looked back at Kageyama. 

“I just think it’s funny that you think it’s okay for you to be back here. Hajime shouldn’t have given you that water to ease your heat stroke. Well what’s done is done. Let me hear you beg to be taken back if that’s why you’re here,” Oikawa commanded.

“I, uh. I was hoping you would at least hear me out. Let me explain what happened-”

“You failed your mission. There’s nothing to explain. You were too weak to take down a worthless human and whatever pathetic excuse for an escort he had-”

“He was with a panther and a bear!-”

“Don’t you  _ dare  _ interrupt me, Lungri! You think that this place is yours but it’s not! You see those heads on the wall?” Oikawa screamed and pointed at the skulls. “Those were the monsters who murdered my parents who saved  _ YOU _ . I disposed of those killers when I was eight and you can’t get rid of one and you’re ten years older than that.” He spat. 

Kageyama tried to look away but couldn’t. Oikawa’s fury was too captivating in the worst way. His tail was huge and flicked behind his back, his claws at full length and Kageyama knew that the fur on his back was standing straight up with rage. 

Oikawa continued. “They should have left you for dead when they saw what your mother had done to you. At least they still would be alive if they didn’t take over your parents’ position. But now that I fill that role, I’ll banish you like they should have done all those years ago.”

“Tooru!” Iwaizumi exclaimed in disbelief. 

Kageyama was not surprised though. He was waiting for this to happen. Iwaizumi grew up with them, he should have known this was bound to happen. Ever since the Oikawas overthrew the Kageyamas there was prejudice against Tobio. They even kept the nickname his mother gave him. Kageyama looked away from Oikawa.

“But before I exile you, you’re coming to witness what you caused,” Oikawa told Tobio in a honeyed voice. 

***

The pack was not the same without Hinata. Everyone was struggling to continue living as if nothing happened. Even Tsukishima, who acted as though he didn’t care about Shouyou, was down. 

Yamaguchi and Tsukki stayed by the Suki tree for most of the day, no one went to bother them. Daichi knew that Yamaguchi wasn’t handling Hinata’s absence well, but Tsukishima was the only one who could calm him down in the past so Daichi left it to him. Narita and Kinoshita locked themselves in the hut they shared. Ennoshita checked up on them every once in a while, but he himself paced around most of the day or talked to Daichi about how he felt. Chikara also went to see how Tanaka was doing. Turns out Ryuu spent most of the day punching random plants and destroying parts of the jungle. It was the only way he knew how to release his emotions. 

Azumane had several panic attacks since Hinata left. Normally Suga and Daichi would help him calm down, but only Daichi was in the correct mindset to assist his friend. The worry about Hinata and Suga and the pack had bubbled over the lid that Asahi shut on and he exploded. It was one of the worst he had had in years. Nishinoya came to help beside Daichi and together they had grounded Asahi and brought him back. 

Noya was quiet. He sat with Tanaka most of the time until Ryuu said he wanted to do something to get his mind off the predicament they were in. Yuu had then seen Asahi’s panic attack happen and since then he wouldn’t leave his side. Asahi had helped him in the past and was actually the one who found him alone in the jungle so many years ago. He was indebted to the man. Asahi argued that he wasn’t because he was just doing what anyone with common sense would do, but Noya still admired the man greatly. He never wanted Asahi to feel anxiety so great that it took over him. He didn’t deserve that pain. 

It was toughest on Koushi though. Suga was lost. The pack was there to comfort him but it did little to improve his mood. He would go through ups and downs; sometimes feeling okay about the situation, and then the next moment he would be breaking down and crying. He knew he was losing control. 

The day Hinata left, Sugawara had kicked the door to their hut so hard out of frustration that it broke off its hinges. Daichi had found him crying after that and tried to console him only to be yelled at for causing everything. Suga had apologized after that and felt even more miserable. Sleeping inside the house seemed like his best option, so he had been doing that the past two days. It was tearing him away from the pack, it was tearing him away from Daichi. He felt terrible that he couldn’t provide support to his pack when they needed it most. 

It was day three now and Koushi found himself staring at the wall in their home. The rusty clock ticked on the wall, notifying Suga that he had been sitting there for two hours already. The bird Daichi prepared for lunch for him sat on the table untouched and cold. 

His heart ached. Daichi told him yesterday that things would get better with time and they would get Hinata back within a few months. It didn’t reassure Koushi at all. Akaashi would be on his way back to confirm they had made it safely at some point today; so when the scent of a large cat entered his nose, Suga didn’t think much of it. He looked at Daichi who was sitting on the other end of the table. When they knew Shouyou had to leave, they agreed that Suga would be the one to confirm with Akaashi that everything had gone to plan. He would tell Daichi what the panther told him and they would carry on with their lives. Or at least try to carry on. 

Koushi jumped up out of his chair and swiveled his ears when he first smelled the large cat. He knew Akaashi wouldn't be here yet, he was probably still three quarters of a mile away. But still, Sugawara was anxious to hear back from him and how Shouyou was doing. He strided out the broken door and sat in the open grassy area where everyone’s futons were. 

It was quiet, Daichi had told the pack to go on a hunt knowing that Akaashi would be back today. He wanted to give Suga a little privacy when he talked to the panther without having the man actually enter their personal den. Suga sat down on Hinata’s old futon and waited patiently. The scent was really strong, now that he thought about it. Way more than three days prior. His restlessness made him dismiss the unusual amount of odor and he closed his eyes, waiting impatiently. His leg bounced at his side and finally he saw someone come out of the trees. 

But it wasn’t Akaashi, and it wasn’t only one person. There were three of them in total. And they were tigers. Koushi shot up from where he was sitting into a fighting stance. His ears twitched back and he bared his fangs at the three. 

“Why are you here?” said Suga in a taut voice. He dug his feet in the ground.

“Just checking in,” the one in the middle said. He smiled at Suga and walked forward, leaving the three behind him. “I remember you from before, you were the one who calmed the pack down when we first arrived. Well, how do you feel now, Mr. Refreshing?”

Suga avoided the question. “He left for the village three days ago. It’s not the end of the drought, you can’t do anything to us. You promised.” 

“Yeah, about that,” Oikawa clicked his tongue with thought. “I’m sorry to say but your little man-cub didn’t reach the village. A little birdie told me you were hiding him here still.”

Kageyama tried not to let the shock show on his face as he heard the false statement fall from Oikawa’s lips. Currently, he was waiting behind the man with Iwaizumi guarding him to make sure he didn’t get away. He had no idea why Oikawa had brought him to the man-cub’s pack, but all he knew was that it wasn’t going to end well.

“Whoever you heard that from lied. You can check the place, he’s not here,” Suga suggested with a stern voice. He prayed that Daichi had overheard the conversation and would help protect him. Not that he wasn’t strong, but he was weak compared to three tigers. 

“I don’t think I can trust you. Besides, your pack is not here right now, they could have taken him with them. I’ll have to teach you a lesson for not holding up your end of the deal,” Oikawa sneered. 

Koushi’s eyes widened and he took a step back in fear. He didn’t want to be a coward but he had no chance of winning this. All he could do was put space between them and come up with an escape route. But Daichi was inside, what if they went after him once Suga escaped?

“Mr. Refreshing, I’d like you to meet Tobio-chan. He will be your opponent today.”

Kageyama’s mouth fell open. What was Oikawa planning? He was supposed to show him what he apparently ‘caused’ but this seemed only like a game to him. And Kageyama didn’t like the cards Oikawa dealt. 

Oikawa turned and motioned Tobio to walk up to them. Iwaizumi gave him a light push to please Tooru and he staggered up to his senior. “I think you’ll enjoy fighting him. This wolf raised the man-cub, acted like a mother to him. Think of him as your mom. You’ll finally be able to kill a parental figure since you were too faint-hearted back then.” 

Tobio sucked in a breath at the mention of his mother. His heart beat loud in his chest. So that was what Oikawa was doing. He was using him like a pawn in this sick game he liked to play. 

“If you refuse, I’ll kill you and then him,” Oikawa smirked and circled around Kageyama. He drew his pointer finger nail out and ran it down his neck. 

Kageyama swallowed loudly. He still felt on the verge of passing out, his mind wasn’t working well. He could only think about who Oikawa had brought up. His mother. 

His mother had called him a monstrous child, though she had birthed him herself. The man-cub on the other hand was a nuisance and still loved by this wolf semifer that was standing in front of him. An adoptive parent who loved him though they weren’t even related. But his mother who was related by blood still refused to show him any affection. Kageyama had done all he could to impress his mother but Hinata probably had done nothing. Kageyama closed his eyes and his breaths became shallow. 

Koushi watched the scene play out in front of him. He had no idea what was happening. Why would the Captain of the tigers threaten to kill one of his own. He couldn’t think about that now though. Escaping and protecting Daichi was most important. 

“C’mon, Tobio, don’t you want to? Don’t you remember all the times she hit you. All the times she yelled at you. You can never forget what she did with your leg looking like that,” Oikawa whispered in Kageyama’s ear. 

“No,” Kageyama shook his head and covered his ears. He didn’t need to remember what she had done. He had repressed it for a reason. He didn’t want to hear this. He already knew how she felt about him.

“Revel in your anger, Tobio. Your parents hated you, why should any other parents deserve to love their child?” Oikawa spoke. 

It was too much for Tobio. His eyes shot open and he charged towards the wolf. He shoved him to the ground and instantly felt the wolves jaws close around his bad shoulder. He cried out in pain and pounded his fists into the wolf’s chest, making him let go of his shoulder. The smaller semifer blocked some of his punches but was hit hard in the chest by a few. 

“Daichi!” he yelled and was headbutted by Kageyama to shut him up. 

“There’s another one! Restrain him, Iwa-chan!” Oikawa yelled as the man named Daichi rushed out of one of the small houses. 

Daichi surveyed the scene and tried to help Koushi but was caught by a tiger with dark hair. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a rustling in the tree’s and saw a familiar face. Kozume, Hinata’s friend. He made eye contact with the snake and tried to let him ask to get help but he didn’t know if the look on his face told the semifer what he needed to know. Kozume nodded and disappeared into the flora. Daichi didn’t know when he would return or why he was even here, but he had to trust Shouyou’s friends and worry about the situation that was currently happening. 

Koushi’s head slammed on the hard ground and he couldn’t see because of the pain. The tiger above him was in some sort of trance, his eyes glossed over and tears threatening to fall. 

Kageyama didn’t know what he was doing. All he knew was that he needed to beat the living shit out of the person underneath him. When he opened his eyes he didn’t see the wolf from before, he saw his mother. Her long black hair flowing onto her shoulders and skin so pale it was almost white. She had white fur, unlike Tobio and his father. It became stained with red after she would teach Tobio how to respect his elders. But this time it wouldn’t be his blood, it would be hers. So he punched harder and cried louder as she fought back. He had been waiting to do this for 12 years. 

Except he couldn’t hear her voice. She would always talk when she would hit him. Her favorite thing to yell at Tobio was his nickname she gave him, Lungri. He hesitated and pulled himself back to reality. This wasn’t his mother. He stopped and looked at the bloodied face of the wolf underneath him. He looked at his hands, stained with the same blood. He was not better than his mother if he hurt this semifer.

Kageyama threw himself off the wolf and backed up with wide eyes. How could he have done this? The wolf stood up on shaky legs and spat blood out of his mouth. 

“I, uh… I didn’t mean-” Kageyama tripped over his words and backed up more until he hit something solid. He looked up and saw Oikawa’s face smiling down at him. 

“Look what you just did, Lungri. You just attacked an innocent wolf,” Oikawa tsk-ed. 

“I never meant to…” Kageyama cried and wiped his hands on the grass. No matter how hard he wiped them off, the blood stayed on his hands. 

“You can’t just leave him, finish him off,” ordered Oikawa. 

“No.” Kageyama said, his voice thick with emotion. 

“I guess I’ll have to then,” Oikawa offered and ran towards the wolf. 

“No!” Daichi and Kageyama yelled together. Iwaizumi held strong and didn’t let Sawamura escape to help Sugawara. He looked at the ground and pretended to not see what was happening. 

Kageyama struggled to stand up, the world spinning around him. He finally managed to get on his feet and he sprinted towards Oikawa who had just snapped the wolf's lower leg. The scream that sounded was more terrifying than anything Tobio had ever heard. Kageyama rammed into Oikawa and forced him to attack him instead. 

He knew he was no match against Oikawa, what with his bad leg, his injuries from before, and the heat stroke that he had recently acquired. The least he could do was protect this wolf though. He didn’t know how long he was beaten up, but he fell unconscious and watched Oikawa turn back to the wolf who laid limp on the ground.

***

The world was bright when Hinata opened his eyes. He sat up and looked around, not recognizing where he was. The bed he was resting on, no, the hammock he was resting on was low to the ground and he swung himself off. 

He wasn’t wearing shoes, the ground cold on his feet surprising him. His clothes had been changed too, he realized. The new t-shirt was warm against his chest and the shorts slipped down when he stood up. These weren’t his clothes. 

Quietly, he left the small room he was in and found himself in a long hallway. Frantic voices could be heard at the end in one of the rooms. Hinata headed over there and popped his head into the room. 

Sitting at a big table was Akaashi, Bokuto, Kenma, and Kuroo; who all looked at him when he entered the room. Hinata tensed when he saw the monkey-semifer and backed up slightly. He let his fingers catch fire and felt them burn at his sides, not knowing if he was in danger. He didn’t want to be strangled again. 

“Woah, calm down there, Hinata. Nobody is going to hurt you,” Bokuto cautioned. 

“What’s going on?” Hinata said and felt his voice scratch his throat. He coughed and wrapped a hand around his neck, trying to figure out why his voice sounded so gravely. 

“It’s because Kuroo was choking you,” Akaashi answered softly from where he was sitting, seeming like he had read Shouyou’s mind. 

“Yeah, sorry about that, kid,” Kuroo said with the same hoarse voice. 

Hinata was very confused and his head panged with how much he was trying to figure out what was happening. It must have shown on his face because Bokuto had walked up to him and led him to a chair that was beside the table they were all sitting at. 

“Your wounds have been treated, as well as everyone else's by Yaku… I hope you’ll be able to trust Nekoma even though we haven’t given you a reason to. We’re going to help your pack out as much as we can to make up for my hostile behavior,” Kuroo spoke up and looked down at the mossy table with embarrassment. 

Now that he mentioned it, there was a new wrap around his leg as well as Akaashi’s eye and Bokuto’s chest. He didn’t want to trust Kuroo, but before he passed out, he had heard Kenma say they were friends. Not only that, Kenma was The Brain. But something else stood out to Hinata; Kuroo had said he was going to help his pack, not help get Hinata to the village safely. 

“Wait, my pack?” Hinata questioned. 

Realization dawned on Kuroo’s face and he turned towards Kenma. Akaashi sighed and slapped his head in frustration that Kuroo had let it slip.

“Idiot,” Bokuto mumbled. 

“What’s going on?” Hinata asked again in a stern voice. He looked at everyone's faces and saw hesitation and panic on each of them. 

“We’ve already discussed everything while you were asleep, maybe we should leave so Kozume can explain again,” Bokuto suggested when no one spoke up. The air was heavy with everyone’s nerves. 

“I told you all that he wasn’t supposed to know!” Kenma hissed. This was the first time Hinata had seen him so angry. He wasn’t just vexed, Kenma looked tired. Too tired. And very stressed. His scales were peeling and Shouyou reached out a hand to touch the flaky skin. His friend moved away and Hinata pulled his hand back and frowned at Kenma’s dismissal. 

Kenma turned away and carded a hand through his matted hair. He hadn’t bathed in a while either. His body was full of small cuts, looking as though he had run through the jungle as fast as he could without pushing the dangerous plants of the way. 

There was so much Shouyou wanted to say to Kenma, questions about his connections to Nekoma, and mainly a proper apology. He would deal with his questions about Kenma’s secret life later, right now he just needed to know what happened to his pack. His friend's current state told him that something was wrong. Something had happened to his pack. “Please tell me, I know I can handle the truth.”

“I went to tell Sawamura and Sugawara that we were behind schedule…” Kenma started, his eyes averted down. 

“And?” Hinata leaned in closer. 

“But when I got there, I couldn’t even talk to them.”

“Why not?” Hinata asked, not knowing if he wanted to hear the answer. 

Kenma looked up at him finally, tears in his eyes. “I-I can’t say. Don’t make me say it. I didn’t want to leave them.”

“Kenma it’s okay, just tell me what happened.”

“Don’t hate me Shouyou, I couldn’t do anything. I wanted to help them right then and there-”

“Kenma! Please,” Shouyou begged and put his hands on the snake’s shoulders. 

“Sugawara was attacked by tigers,” Kenma whispered. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hate to leave things on a cliffhanger, but I️ did what needed to be done. Make sure to look out for chapter seven!


	7. Chapter Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hinata and his group go pack to Karasuno to see what happened to Sugawara and Daichi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM SO SORRY THAT THIS WASNT POSTED A FEW DAYS AGO!!!!!! I️ had an AP test and didn't study so I️ kinda stressed out a couple days before. And then I️ had to travel with my family for a day so I️ couldn't write then. Anyway, I️ hope you all enjoy this chapter

Chapter Seven 

The world around him disappeared. All Hinata was thinking about was saving Suga and his pack from the tigers. He heard the muffled voices of his friends, but he could only focus on getting out of the ruin and back home. 

Shouyou stormed out of the room he was in and started to search for an exit. He soon found one, though during his search he felt different people tug on his arm trying to make him stop and just listen. The sun was setting, he would have to run to get back before the world became dark around him. 

The pants he was wearing were still way too big, so Hinata picked up a vine off the ground and shoved it through the loopholes and made a belt. There, now he could run without constantly pulling up his shorts. He tied the shirt as well in the front so it wouldn’t get caught on any stray branches. He didn’t need anymore delays. 

As he was stretched, a voice interrupted his clouded mind. “Shouyou please rethink this! We were coming up with a plan to help them, you’ll get hurt if you go-”

“I won’t!” Hinata shouted and turned to look at Kenma. “I know I’ve been a burden in the past, but not this time. I won’t allow myself to be.”

“You’ll need shoes at least,” someone said and Hinata felt his hiking shoes smack his face. 

After rubbing his sore nose, Hinata looked for the man behind the voice. It was Bokuto. Akaashi was standing next to him and Kuroo was a little ways back, unsure of what to do. 

“Shou, you’re not a burden, I just don’t want to lose you,” Kenma said quietly and squatted down next to his friend. 

Hinata’s brow relaxed and he looked up at Kenma. “It’s okay, I’ll be careful.”

Kenma bit his lip in gestation then nodded after a few seconds. A breath Shouyou didn’t know he was holding escaped his mouth and he turned his attention to his seniors. 

“You’re an idiot if you don’t think we’re coming with you,” stated Bokuto as he side-hugged Akaashi. 

Hinata looked back at Kenma who was still squatted next to him. Hinata slipped on his shoes and awaited for whatever Kenma was going to say. 

“I’ll come with too-”

“Yes!” Shouyou shouted in delight. 

“-But you have to let Nekoma help. I promise I’ll explain everything in a little bit, the safety of your pack comes first though,” Kenma told him.

A small smile grew on Shouyou’s face and he pulled Kenma into another hug. “I promise I’ll give you a proper apology after this too. I should have never said what I did-”

“That's enough, now,” Kenma interrupted and ran a hand through Hinata’s messy hair. “I know you’re sorry.” 

They stood up and dusted off their knees that got dirty from the dusty ground. Hinata looked at Kuroo who was pacing around and called out, “So are you coming with?”

The man looked up and gave him a gentle smile. “Is it already if I bring Yaku? He has proper medicine and has been trained for medical treatment.”

Hinata nodded and saw Kenma relax at his side. He still wasn’t sure about Kuroo or the rest of Nekoma, but he couldn’t deny that Yaku had already proved his skills, plus Kenma trusted all of them. Everyone deserves a second chance, he thought. 

It seemed like forever for Kuroo to come back with Yaku, Hinata fidgeted with anxiety and chewed on his cheek to distract him. Once they arrived back at the open area of the ruin, Hinata noticed the bag that Yaku was carrying. He concluded there were a variety of ointments and medicines inside, as well as medical supplies. He couldn’t help but worry even more, Kenma didn’t see the damage that Suga had received. For all they knew Suga could have died. No, it wasn’t right to think that way. They had to be optimistic and hurry back. If they ran most of the way, they could be there in three hours. But if it took Kenma that long to get to the ruin they were at, that meant that when they arrived Suga would have been sitting with his injuries for six hours already. He decided that they had to leave now. Right now. 

“We have to run. It might sound harsh, but if you can’t keep up I won’t wait for you. I need to get back there as fast as I can-”

“Don’t worry, we’re prepared to do this. We know how much you care for your pack,” Akaashi assured him. 

That was all Hinata needed to hear before he ran off with the five of them into the jungle. 

***

It was good that Kenma calmed him down back then and that Bokuto told him that he had support. He really didn’t know his way around the forest well and the lack of sunlight made it hard to see. Akaashi’s night vision helped them all out when the sun finally set, and they had run most of the way. When Hinata recognized his surroundings, he picked up the pace and started sprinting home. He knew that he left the others behind, but he needed to see Suga. Tears threatened to fall the closer he came and finally they fell when he saw the lamp outside his cave house. 

The other lamps were out, but the futons were still thrown haphazardly on the ground. The pack must be on a hunt. He slowed down and stopped in front of the hut. He reached out a hand and pulled it back. Why was he hesitating? Was it the fear of the unknown? Was it the fear of the worst? He had to know. He yanked the door open and gasped. 

Daichi shirtless was the first thing he noticed. Then it was Suga. 

“Shouyou! What are you doing here?!” Daichi choked out and stood up from the floor he was kneeling on. He was kneeling next to Suga who was laying on a futon. 

Hinata ignored the question and slumped down to the ground next to Koushi. 

He was unconscious, Hinata knew that, but he couldn’t help but grab his hand. It didn’t even look like Suga. His face seemed to be bloody everywhere. His left eye was a dark purple and his lip was busted open. Various lesions scattered his face, mainly on his cheeks and by his eyebrow. Daichi’s shirt was wrapped around Koushi’s right arm that had soaked through it in the time that had elapsed. But what caught Hinata’s attention the most was his leg. The lower part sloped in a different direction and Hinata gagged as he realized the bone had been snapped clean in half. 

He turned to the side and threw up on the ground. He heaved a few more times and felt the tears fall down his face. He felt Daichi wrap his arms around him and the older man rocked him back and forth like a baby. 

“It’s going to be okay,” he repeated and cradled the small teen in his arms. 

“Who would do this? What  _ happened _ ?!” Hinata sobbed and dug his face deeper in the warm skin of Daichi’s chest. He reached his arms around the man and ran his fingers through the thick fur on Daichi’s back, trying to calm himself down. 

Daichi sighed and hugged him tighter. “I’m not sure, Suga thought Akaashi was coming back to confirm that you were at the village, but then I heard screaming. I went outside but it was already happening and I was held back by another tiger. The one who first attacked Suga got beat up pretty bad so he’s resting in Noya and Tanakas’ cabin-”

“Wait, you’re keeping him here?” Hinata yelled and jumped out of Daichi’s arms. He felt his fingers buzz and his brow furrowed. 

“Shouyou, it's not what you think. Wait-” Daichi yelled, but Hinata had already stormed out of their small house. 

Shouyou stomped on the grass underneath him towards the house that the tiger was in. How could Daichi allow him to stay here?! Both of his hands were burning at his side and he looked down to see them engulfed in flames. He didn’t give a flying fuck at that moment. 

He threw open the door and saw a beaten up Kageyama passed out on a wooden chair in front of a table. So he was the one who attacked Suga. The conversation they had a couple days ago flooded back into his mind. He should have never trusted Kageyama to stay away. Shouyou cursed himself and anger polluted his judgement. All he wanted to do was beat the living shit out of the tiger who was sleeping on his packs chair. He shouldn’t be allowed to even step foot in this house, let alone their territory. Hinata’s flames crawled their way up his forearms. 

“Wake up.” Hinata demanded and kicked the chair. 

Kageyama opened his eyes groggily and then widened them as he saw Hinata and his flames. 

“Hinata…” Kageyama grumbled and stared at the man in front of him. 

“Get up.”

“I can’t, I’m injured-”

“I said get the fuck up!” Hinata screamed and the flames surged up to his collarbones. He panted and walked around behind Kageyama. He pushed him out of the chair and Tobio fell to the ground with a thump.

Kageyama stood up shakily and followed Hinata outside, not knowing what to do. All he knew was that Hinata was way more frightening than he had ever seen him and he didn’t want to upset him further. 

“Why did you do it?” Hinata asked once they stopped walking. 

“I-I don’t know,” Kageyama said honestly. 

“That’s bullshit and you know it!” The flames were over a foot in height now and Hinata’s hair stood up straight with the fire consuming him. 

Kageyama said nothing and looked at the ground. 

“Did our conversation mean nothing to you?!” Hinata spat and stared at the tiger. He was still crying, but he wanted to make Kageyama pay for what he did. “Apparently it didn’t. I gave you a second chance and you blew it, you… you fucking piece of shit! I fucking hate you!” Hinata yelled and threw himself at Kageyama. 

He knocked him to the ground easily and fell on top of him. Kageyama grunted and did nothing to fight back. A fist connected with his bruised face and he let it happen. 

“Fight back, you coward!” Hinata cried and slammed his fists down on Kageyama’s chest. His flames inched up Kageyama's dirty shirt and he cried out in pain as it seared his skin. 

Hinata couldn’t see anything. He pounded his fists as hard as he could on Kageyama’s skin. This wasn’t doing anything to help his anger. He stood up and saw Kageyama roll on the ground pathetically to extinguish the flames. Hinata's grimace grew and pulled Kageyama up by the remnants of his collar. 

He was heavy, but he lifted him up with both of his hands and threw him back down on the ground with as much force as he could muster. Why wasn’t he fighting back?! That bastard! It annoyed Hinata to no end that he hadn’t caused Kageyama any real pain. He screamed up at the sky to try to get rid of the feeling of failure but it didn’t work. It just made him feel worse and his vision blurred as his eyes glowed white.

He never had control of anything. He had been a burden; he couldn’t fight for shit for the longest time. His pack continued to grow without him, all he did was hold them back. He was useless, and now he couldn’t even get revenge for someone he held dear. He was a failure. A complete and utter failure at everything! It was because of him that Koushi was attacked. It was his fault. He was the one who hurt Suga. He would never be good enough. He was nothing. All he ever did was bring misfortune and pain. 

Kageyama coughed up blood as he pushed himself up from the ground. He sucked in air as best as he could and felt his lungs burn. He didn’t have time to recover though and he felt the fire before he saw it. 

Previously, Hinata had orange flames covering the upper half of his body, but now - now he was fully consumed in them head to foot. Not just that, they were blue. A brilliant sapphire that slowly turned into a golden amber the higher it climbed. Not only that, white lines adorned his body, the most notable one being the circle that surrounded his neck. The rest of them encircled each of his limbs and his torso. He was split up into eight.

He lit up what seemed like the whole forest, the tips of the trees surrounding them catching flame as he stalked past them. Kageyama tried his best to scramble back, but his body wouldn’t comply. He couldn’t do anything. He could only stare at the ethereal being that was the bringer of his death. He shut his eyes and felt the flames burn his skin as Hinata grabbed him by the neck and lifted him up. 

It hurt, but Kageyama knew it would be over soon. He inhaled the smoke and looked up at the starry sky. He deserved to die, he knew he did. At least he could die at the hands of one of the only people who showed him kindness. He closed his eyes and awaited his end. 

Suddenly, he was released from the vice-like grip and he fell to the ground. The pain was ten, no 100 times worse than before now that his burns rubbed against the grass and were exposed to the outside air. He gasped for breath and turned his head to look at what happened. 

The wolf who Iwaizumi restrained from before had just shoved himself into Hinata’s side and caused him to fall on the futons that were thrown about. They caught fire and burned up quickly, just like the trees surrounding them. Kageyama didn’t notice before, but all around him was on fire. The leaves that caught fire before had spread throughout the neighboring trees. It enclosed them in a warm but dangerous circle, with Hinata standing out in the middle with his blue core. 

“Shouyou! It’s me, it’s Daichi!” The man reasoned with Hinata before being punched square in the jaw. Kageyama flinched but couldn’t do anything. 

The man wheezed for breath in the smoke and looked around and made eye contact with Tobio briefly. 

“Akaashi! Kozume! Thank the Gods you're here, help me. Help me save Shouyou!” Daichi yelled as he spotted the panther and the others that accompanied him break through the flames. 

“Holy shit,” Bokuto and Kuroo said at the same time. They looked at each other, but didn’t have much time to reminisce in the moment because of a burning branch that fell from above. 

“My gods, it’s happening again,” Kenma whispered and brought a hand up to cover his mouth in shock. 

“W-what’s happening again,” Bokuto choked out in the smoke.

“It’s only happened once before, but,” Kenma stopped to cough. “Ten years ago. It affected most of the jungle. You and Akaashi weren’t here when it happened. But Hinata just flipped out and burned down like half the jungle. It was hard to get him out of this state,” Kenma coughed again and Kuroo went by his side to make sure he was okay. 

“How do we get him back to normal?” Akaashi asked. 

“I don’t know, I wasn’t there last time. A-ask Sawamura,” he heaved out and Kuroo held him up by the shoulder. 

Kuroo let Yaku take care of Kenma and motioned for Akaashi and Bokuto to follow him deeper into the area to help Daichi. They covered their mouths and their eyes watered as they got closer to the blue silhouette that was Hinata. 

“Hey, you okay?” Bokuto asked once they reached the shirtless man who was Sawamura. 

Daichi coughed and nodded, his hands holding his weight up on his knees. “Bring the tiger in one of the cabins, Shouyou is after him the most, and he’s not afraid to hurt anyone in his way.” He fell to the ground and hauled himself back up. “The only way to get him out of this state is to knock him out.”

The three of them nodded and set off the work. Kuroo would bring the tiger inside, who Akaashi and Bokuto soon recognized as the same tiger who had attacked them previously, and the other two would work together with Daichi to save Hinata from himself. It was best for Akaashi and Bokuto to work together since they were skilled in duo battles, and Akaashi knew Sawamura enough to know his fighting style. Together, they would knock Hinata unconscious. 

Kuroo found the tiger on the ground and winced at the condition he was in. He couldn’t worry about the others and what would happen to them, he had a job to do so he could prove to Hinata he was trustworthy. He had to do this for Hinata and his pack. He saw Yaku and Kenma in the distance and nodded his head towards one of the huts, telling them to take shelter inside. 

He turned his attention back to the crippled body and the ground and lifted the heavy man up. He heard screaming in the background but shut it out as best he could and continued walking towards the tiny house in front of him. It felt like he was walking in molasses, the time passing by so slow. He reached the door finally, and set the tiger on the ground, not knowing what to do next. Maybe he should ask Yaku to heal him? But what about the man named Sugawara that Kenma was talking about before. 

His deep thought was severed when he heard a whine from the ground. He dropped down and looked at the teen. 

“I didn’t mean to kill her,” Tobio whispered. 

“It’s okay, you didn't,” Kuroo reassured, though he didn’t know who the tiger was talking about. 

“I did though,” Kageyama cried and turned his head to the side. 

Kuroo didn’t know what to do so he just grabbed his hand and told him it would be alright. 

“I deserved it all. I’m sorry, Miwa,” he mumbled. “I’m sorry, Mom. You were right.”

Kuroo had no clue what was going on. The tiger passed out again and his cries softened. Kuroo stood up and walked to the door. He looked back one last time at the sad body laying on the ground and then left. 

The atmosphere was different when he exited. The first thing he noticed was Hinata, who was now laying on the ground, a tense expression plastered on his face. The flames were gone from his body, but not from the jungle. 

Sawamura knelt down next to the limp body and brought him in his arms. Kuroo heard his strangled cry ring out and a tiny bit of him shattered. He didn’t know Sawamura, but he shouldn’t feel this much pain. He walked over to where Akaashi and Bokuto were watching and continued to look at the scene play out in front of him. 

“That was fast,” Kuroo said quietly, trying to break the tension.

Akaashi nodded, tears falling from his face. He wiped them away and looked down. “We have to extinguish the fire, where’s Kozume and Yaku?” 

Kuroo nodded to the caves and the three walked over to the one they were in. 

Kenma was doing better, now that he got some fresh air, but Yaku said that he should lay down and stay out of the smoke. He said that even though he had two lungs, unlike most snake semifers, his respiratory system still wasn’t as strong as the rest of theirs. Kenma reluctantly agreed to stay inside while the four would work on putting out the fire. 

Before they left, Kozume told them where the karasuno pack kept buckets and other materials so they could carry water from the nearby river that was 100 or so yards away. 

They thanked him and left, finding Daichi carrying Hinata in his arms to one of the cabins. He nodded to them as a thank you as they passed each other and they went off to work.

Putting out the fire dragged out into the late hours of the night. Every time they put some out, another branch would catch. It wasn’t working. After ten minutes of struggling, Akaashi and Yaku came up with a plan to surround the fire at four locations. They wouldn’t stop it from burning, but they would contain it and stop it from reaching the whole forest. Daichi joined soon after and they surrounded it in five different places. It took forever, but they finally managed to stop the flames after working hard for many hours. 

The fire had burned around a 300 yard radius from it’s center, the river stopping parts of it from an outer half of the circle. Daichi had offered them all a place to rest, thanking them all. They made their way back to the small village, passing by hundreds of burnt trees and plants. 

The futons were burnt to a crisp, so Daichi pulled a few blankets out from one of the houses and offered it to them. Though they had accomplished what they wanted to, everyone was still down. No one knew what the future held. So many questions flooded each of their heads, but all they could do was sleep on the dead grass and stare up to the heavens, hoping that the Gods would answer their thoughts. 

When everyone else had fallen asleep, Daichi got up and walked to the house Suga was in. He sat down on the ground next to him and pushed the silver hair out of the man's eye. He let a few tears slip, and closed his eyes. He entwined his fingers with Koushi’s, and kissed his flaccid hand. Rubbing his thumb over the back of his lover’s hand, he croaked out, “it’s going to be okay,” and finally broke down. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For me, this is the real turning point in the story, we will finally begin the slow burn after this chapter and I'm so excited. This was kinda a big hump I️ had to write to progress the story and it feels weird to have completed it. The story is going to change now, be prepared!! 
> 
> Kudos and comments are always appreciated! I️ love reading what you all have to say about this fan fiction, it really keeps me going and have motivation to write. I️ love you all so much for reading, so plssss comment so I️ know I'm getting through to you. I️ love interacting with you guys, it really makes me day. Ya'll can always give me constructive criticism as well, I️ don't really have a beta reader, besides my best friend on some chapters. Anyway, I️ love y'all tysm for reading, new chapter coming soon!


	8. Chapter Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hinata wakes up and discovers things have changed a lot since he was last awake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I️ would first like to apologize, this should have been out about a week ago. I️ had terrible writers block and struggled immensely with this chapter. I️ also was stressed about college and dorms and crap like that, but I'm feeling better.
> 
> Also, please do what you can to help with everything that is going on. Please donate, protest, or share information about how to change the United States police/justice system. This was also a reason I️ haven't posted, but I️ will not apologize for that. I️ don't want to bring politics into my writing or make my readers feel as if I'm forcing my opinions on them but please do what you can to help. There are many petitions you can sign and donation websites. Silence is violence.

Chapter Eight

It was bright, too bright. Even with his eyes closed, he saw the blinding light in his vision. Whenever he tried to move his eyes, his head would spin and he could feel his heavy pulse throughout his body. It was enough to make him feel as though he would throw up, though there was nothing in his stomach. Whenever he groaned out and tossed about wherever he was laying, a warm hand would reach out and tuck him back in. It was freezing all the time, but he was sweating uncontrollably. The same hand would place a cool towel on his head and sometimes he could hear a familiar voice accompany the touch, though he couldn’t figure out who it was. It would shush him and tell him to lay back down, that everything was okay. 

His fever went down considerably in the following days, though he was still in and out of reality. All he could remember was chugging water when the hand gave it to him, and falling instantly back asleep. This time around there was more than one voice, multiple would ring in his ears, but he couldn’t make out any words. It felt like he was under water, all the words were muddled and felt like they wandered around him. Once and a while he could make out a word or two though and it was always his name.  _ Shouyou,  _ they would say, in all different tones. Sometimes excited, or angry, or distressed, or calm, or pleading, or even sad.

He would dream a lot. But it was always the same.

_ He was walking in a cloudy area, only able to see the path in front of him. Everything was gray, except for what he was walking towards. He was on a hill, trying his best to climb, but the path would become steeper the farther he traveled. He was on a mountain now, climbing straight up. He could hear what he was looking for all the way at the top.  _

_ ‘Help me, Shouyou!’ It would yell. He climbed as fast as he could and finally made it to the top. He was about to pull himself up but the voice returned, right above him. Suga was standing there, a sad look on his face. ‘You’re too late. How could you do this to me?’ He asked and stepped one of his feet on Shouyou’s left hand.  _

_ Hinata cried out as Sugawara pushed his hand off the cliff. He held on with his right hand and tried to get a foothold- there was none. They all had disappeared. He looked at the fall beneath him, dread filled his body. When he glanced up at Koushi again, Kageyama was behind him with his arm crossing over Suga’s chest to clench his neck with his hand. Sugawara wasn’t struggling though, he smirked down at Shouyou after looking at Kageyama.  _

_ ‘You killed me, Shouyou,” Koushi whispered and kicked Hinata’s hand off the cliff’s edge, causing him to fall.  _

_ Hinata opened his mouth to scream as he fell, but no sound came out. He watched Suga’s laughing face as he plummeted closer to the ground. He closed his eyes with defeat and felt his body burst into flame. At least he would be cocooned in warmth as he fell to his death…  _

Shouyou bolted up from the blankets he was on and gasped for breath. He was still damp with sweat while he realized it was just a nightmare and calmed his breathing. He sighed in relief and rubbed his eyes with his hands to try to wake himself up more. The clearing of a throat startled Hinata from his daze. 

“Shouyou?” Yamaguchi asked in disbelief and leaned forward in his chair. “A-are you okay?”

Hinata nodded and looked around. He wasn’t in his cabin. It looked like Tanaka’s and Noya’s by how much shit was thrown around the place. Random clothes and remains of food, as well as coffee colored hair that wasn't picked up from shedding. It was also the place where he had found Kageyama when he first arrived at home… Where was the tiger now? And how long was he, himself out?

“I should get Daichi, this is the first time you’ve responded when you’ve woken up,” Tadashi rushed. 

“Don’t bother, I’m getting up,” Hinata groaned out and sat up, his muscles screaming at him to stop in the process. He managed to push himself into a seated position and removed the old blanket from his torso. That was better. Now it wasn’t so hot. 

“I don’t think that’s the best idea, Shouyou!” Tadashi scrambled to his side and stopped him from moving any farther. He handed Hinata a glass of water that was on the floor and Shouyou drank it greedily, making his dry mouth disappear. 

The room was still too bright, but the dread of not knowing what happened made him forget about his headache. The last thing he could recall was dragging Kageyama outside and how he wouldn’t fight back. Then… then there was nothing. He couldn’t remember anything.  _ What had happened?  _ What if? Oh my, what if he had done it again. So many questions flooded his mind, but he only knew how to ask one: “What happened, Yamaguchi?”

Tadashi moved to sit on the ground next to him and began, “I don’t really know… the pack returned from a hunt a couple days ago and you were out. Daichi couldn’t explain well…” he said, twiddling his thumbs.

Yamaguchi had refused to make eye contact, and his nervous gestures were also a red flag. Hinata knew he wasn’t telling the truth. If Tadashi wouldn’t tell him everything, then he would just have to find out on his own. Honestly, it made him mad that Yamaguchi wouldn’t tell him anything. “Please move, I need to get up.” 

“NO!” Yamaguchi yelled, startling Hinata. He put his hands on Shouyou’s shoulders and let his head drop between his arms, his long hair falling over his eyes. “No,” he breathed. 

“Why not?” Hinata struggled against Yamaguchi’s strong grip. Even though Tadashi was one of the weaker wolves, he was still much stronger than Shouyou when he wasn’t using his power. He grunted out a few times, his injuries he didn’t notice before becoming aggravated. 

“Just don’t, it’s not safe. You’ll just get upset-”

“Why?!” Hinata screamed and his chest came alight with fire, burning Yamaguchi’s hands. 

“Ah!” Tadashi yelped and yanked his hands back.

“Crap! Yamaguchi I’m sorry! Oh my gods, I didn’t mean to!” Hinata yelled and moved forward in an attempt to help his friend. 

Tadashi flinched back and Hinata faltered. Why was he surprised that Yamaguchi was scared of him? It only signified that he had no control over himself. 

Yamaguchi stayed silent for a bit, clenching and unclenching his hands to try to make them feel better. He looked up sadly at Hinata. “You’re not stable right now. That’s why I can’t let you outside. If you see… well I can’t tell you, but it might set you off again-”

“Again?” Hinata whipped his head up to meet Yamaguchi’s eyes. 

Realizing his mistake, Tadashi went pale in the face and pleaded with Hinata silently with his eyes not to leave.

“I’m sorry,” Hinata said and pushed himself up. He didn’t know if he was apologizing for burning his packmate, or because he was going outside. He wasn’t stopped by Yamaguchi this time, and he turned back to look at the sad man on the floor before he left the house. 

The acrid smell was what he first noticed, then it was the lack color. Grey, everything was grey. The ground, the futons, the trees, the sky. Nothing was full of life as it used to be. Hinata stood there in awe at what used to be his home. His pack was working on moving the futons out of the clearing and into piles, but were struggling because they kept breaking apart. Pillows and blankets they had for years, destroyed. The trees that Hinata grew up climbing, burned to a crisp. The home to many other animals and plants, gone. Hinata felt light headed at the sight of it. 

He fell to his knees and tried to process everything. Even the outsides of their homes were charred- thankfully still standing though. He felt his stomach try to empty its contents but there was nothing to expel. He had done this. He had demolished their home. 

The grass crunched underneath him as he let his weight settle into the ground. He let out a whine and crumpled in on himself, trying not to cry. How could he have done this?

“Shouyou!” A voice yelled and Hinata heard someone rush towards him. 

Hinata looked up to find Tanaka above him, a look of worry plastered on his usually happy face. Noya sprinted over after hearing what Ryuu said and soon the whole pack was crowding around him. 

“No, please get away,” Hinata pleaded, feeling anxiety creep into his body. He wouldn’t be able to control himself. He would hurt everyone, just like Suga. Just like Tadashi. 

“Shouyou, we’re trying to help you-”

“Yeah, bud, let us help you-”

“I can’t believe he’s awake-”

“Guys, I think we should give him room-” 

So many voices were talking, it made Hinata feel so cramped. He couldn’t escape. He was trapped. He was overheating. He tried covering his ears but it didn’t work. His whole body started to buzz. He was going to blow. He curled himself into a ball. What did Yamaguchi say? He was not stable-  _ explosive _ . He was going to hurt everyone. He was going to-

He howled as his whole body ignited. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. He was supposed to have control of himself, of his power. The flames rose six feet in the air, creating a barrier around Hinata that blew everyone away. 

He felt the flames surround his body in a warm embrace, protecting him from everyone else. He tried to take control but could only cause them to decrease in size by a few feet. He had to wait it out. After years of not using his power, why now did it have to affect everything?

“Shouyou.”

Hinata looked up from his ball of warmth to find Kenma squatting next to him. He looked better from the last time he had seen him, but still overly tired and stressed. “Kenma,” he whispered, tears in his eyes. 

“I need you to try to calm down,” he said and glanced around at the rest of Karasuno. Hinata knew that his friend didn’t like a lot of people, it was strange to see him surrounded by many. 

Kenma had ignored his anxiety to help him. It wasn’t taken lightly by Shouyou. He took a deep breath in and held it for three seconds, then released. He felt the buzzing around his body slow to a stop and the heat disappear. He needed to learn to calm down, for everyone’s safety. 

He looked up at the rest of his pack's faces. They weren’t angry like he expected, but patient and eager. Looking closer at them, none of them had been burned, they must have jumped out of the way just in time. It was a close call. Hinata decided then- no more close calls. He would learn to be the master of himself and his double-edged sword of a gift, no matter what it took. 

He stood up on shaky legs, and bowed towards everyone in an apology. Kenma grasped him by the arm and walked him towards the cabin that Daichi was in. 

“Oh thank the gods you’re awake,” Daichi cried and ran to hug Hinata as he entered the house. 

Hinata grunted in pain as Daichi’s hug aggravated his injuries. 

“Oh, right, sorry,” said Sawamura sheepishly and released him. “I’m just so glad you’re okay,” he whispered. 

Kenma looked at Hinata one last time before exiting the cabin. That’s right, everyone had come with him back to Karasuno to check on Sugawara after the attack. Where was everyone now? Where was Kageyama?

Hinata stayed silent and looked down. Daichi shouldn’t be glad he was okay. He had a chance to stop Kageyama but he was too much of a wimp to do it. If only he was-

“That’s enough.”

“I didn’t say anything,” Shouyou mumbled. 

“I can hear you over thinking. Everything is okay now-”

“How is it okay?!” yelled Hinata, fresh tears in his eyes. “I did it again,” he croaked. “And just now I almost hurt everyone and I burned Yamaguchi’s hands not even ten minutes ago!”

Daichi’s face dropped. “I’m not mad at you. No one is mad at you. We want to help you and protect you from Blue Castle. If any of us had your power we would have reacted the same way.”

“But no one else does. Because I’m a human, and everyone else isn’t.”

“We never saw you as different-”

“How couldn’t you?! I’m a  _ human _ ! I age differently and I’m weak and I can’t help during hunts at all. All I can do is fuck everything up,” Shouyou cried. 

Daichi didn’t respond for a while. All they could hear was Hinata’s heaving breathing. “I remember when you first swore.”

Hinata looked up and saw that Daichi had a sad smile on his face. He was looking at the floor but continued. 

“You were about nine years old, I was as stressed as an eleven year old could be. I just started running the pack the previous years and I had no idea what I was doing. Suga was looking after you most of the time, but this special occasion I was in charge. You had dropped something in the river, I don’t even remember what it was- but you had yelled  _ fuck!  _ as it fell. I remember being appalled at your outburst, and asked you where you learned such language. You responded by saying Suga had been using that word whenever he was angry and I laughed so hard that I almost fell in the water. Of course you learned it from Koushi, who else swore like that around you?” Daichi looked up and put a hand on Hinata’s shoulder after he finished chuckling. “You’re like him in so many ways. He overthinks too. We don’t care that you’re a human, we love you the way you are, don’t ever forget that.”

Hinata nodded in response, somehow feeling worse than before. He knew that Daichi was only trying to help, but talking about Suga just made him feel more responsible for what happened. It made him angry that Daichi was talking about Suga like he was dead. What if he was?

“I know I can’t make you feel better right away, but remember that we’re all here for you-”

“Is Suga alive?” Hinata interrupted, somewhat feeling bad for disregarding Daichi’s attempt at support. 

“He is, Yaku tended to his wounds just in time.”

“I’m going to see him,” Hinata concluded and hauled himself up.

“Woah, woah, slow down there. You just woke up and shouldn’t be up. We had to injure you pretty bad to knock you out and you used a lot of energy when you, ya know… you need to heal,” Daichi suggested and blocked Shouyou’s path. He sat him back down and told him that Suga would come visit soon when he was up for it. All Hinata needed to do now was rest and get his fever down. 

“I can’t just sit here and do nothing. I have so many questions about… about everything! I’m so confused. I don’t know what to do!” Hinata yelled and balled his hands into fists. His mind was racing so much, he didn’t know where to start. He still needed to talk to Kenma about Nekoma. And he needed to see everyone and apologize properly. “Can you please just answer some of my questions?”

Daichi sighed and nodded. “I can’t answer everything because I still don’t know what happened but all I know is that something snapped in the Tiger. He attacked Suga but then stopped, and started to protect Koushi from another tiger. I don’t know why. The tiger has been awake for some time but he doesn’t respond to any of us. He hasn’t harmed any of us, but he is still locked in Narita and Kinoshita’s cabin just for everyone’s safety. Don’t talk to him, Hinata. Not now. We all need to sit down and talk about what happened, not just from the other day, but about Nekoma and everything else. Please just rest, I promise you will get your answers, but not now.” 

Hinata felt even more puzzled but thanked Daichi anyway. He tried to reason with him to let him help clean up, but Daichi refused. All he could do was sit down in Tanaka and Noya’s cabin until everything was under control. 

***

  
  


Hinata was watched the rest of the day, making him slightly uncomfortable and a little peeved. He stole glances towards the cabin where Kageyama was staying and he could never scratch the constant itch of wanting to talk to him. Wanting to know everything. Wanting to understand and have some closure. 

People had taken turns watching over him, and Hinata figured out that not only was the whole pack at home, but also everyone he traveled with was there as well. He saw Yaku go in and out of Suga and Daichi’s cabin, most likely checking in on Koushi’s wounds, but he also went into where Kageyama was a few times. Come to think of it, Kageyama was pretty beat up before Hinata had arrived, who knows how injured he was. He could be in critical condition, just like Sugawara. 

To keep himself busy, Hinata tried the best he could to knit some new blankets together. He really wasn’t the best at it but it was something to keep him mind off reality. It was the least he could do to try and rebuild their home. Everyone was doing something to help life go back to normal, whether that be cleaning, replanting, or even venturing out to try to find a shop that sold items they needed. 

Shouyou knew of the stores that semifer’s ran, but Suga and Daichi refused to let him go there, they said that any semifer could smell him out in less than a minute as well as his appearance would give him away. They were located deep in the forest, and one of the only reasons Semifer’s would help each other. They had also told him stories about Semifer’s who used magic to conceal their appearance so they could live in human villages. It always intrigued Shouyou, but the subject was touchy and not brought up much. 

In the hours right before dusk, Yaku had approached him and said that he needed to be treated again. His body had used so much energy when he entered that state that caused him to be out for four days and it was necessary for him to rebuild his strength by drinking plenty of fluids and to start slowly eating again. He had acquired several wounds from being knocked out by Daichi, Bokuto, and Akaashi; which he had discovered after moving around and feeling almost every part of his body ache and burn. Yaku told him that without a question he had a few bruised bones and lacerations scattered across his body. They needed to be checked on frequently to reduce the swelling as well as the internal bleeding and to prevent infections. 

So Hinata found himself laying down in one of the houses while Yaku inspected his body. It was a hassle but ultimately worth it. Now that he was awake during these sessions, Hinata found that the medicine Yaku used stung as it came in contact with his cuts, which made him squirm and cry out. Yaku wasn’t scared to scold him at these times and Hinata found himself pouting and grumbling to himself.

It was a few minutes after Yaku finished that Hinata heard a familiar voice ask the man to treat his wounds as well. Shouyou turned over and saw Yamaguchi standing there. The wolf gave him an awkward smile and turned back to the spider monkey. He instructed Yamaguchi to lay down on the blanket next to Hinata and Shouyou tensed up at the mention of his name. He knew that Tadashi was here because of what happened this morning, it made guilt bubble deep in his stomach. 

Yaku informed them that he had to get some aloe from his bag and left them alone. Yamaguchi sat down quietly and pulled his tail to the side, running his hands through his fur. He often did this when he was anxious and it made Hinata feel worse. 

“So, I heard you made a blanket today-”

“Stop the small talk, Tadashi. I need to apologize to you,” Hinata stated and turned to his friend. “I’m so sorry that I burned you, I really don’t know what came over me. I guess just returning home after thinking I was never coming back just overwhelmed me. I know I can’t reverse what happened, but believe me, I would.”

Yamaguchi smiled and let go of his tail. “Thanks, Shouyou. I’m sorry too. I get anxious and don’t know how to express what I need at times. I was overwhelmed as well. We’ve known each other for so long, you’re one of my closest friends, and losing you a few days ago really sent me in a spiral. I’m just glad you’re okay, these will heal in no time,” Yamaguchi said and lifted up his hands. 

Yaku returned with his bag as soon as Hinata started to speak up and cut him off. Turns out that Yamaguchi only suffered from first and mild second degree burns. He would have to apply aloe daily and some type of ointment that Hinata couldn’t pronounce, but he would be okay. That was what mattered most. 

“You can leave whenever you want, Hinata-kun just has to stay because Daichi thinks he’s going to run off,” Yaku told Yamaguchi and sent a glare towards Shouyou. 

“I think I’ll stay here for the night to rest,” decided Yamaguchi and beamed at Hinata. 

“Suit yourself,” Yaku said and shut his bag with a click.

As Yaku was about to leave, Hinata yelled out, “Tell everyone to visit me tomorrow if I’m going to be stuck here!” 

Yaku sent him daggers and slammed the door, causing both Shouyou and Tadashi to chuckle. It was lonely not being able to hang with anyone, everyone was so busy and having someone watch over you wasn’t that entertaining. Hinata was dying to talk to the rest of his pack and to everyone who had accompanied him during his journey. 

It was a wonderful change to have Yamaguchi around. Although it had only been about a week, it felt like they hadn’t talked in months. Hinata retold the stories of the adventure that he went on; meeting Bokuto, fighting Kageyama, Kenma revealing himself as The Brain. It felt good to get all of it off his chest and tell someone about it. If he told Noya or Tanaka, they positively would not keep their mouth shut, but Yamaguchi… Yamaguchi would only spill a little to Tsukishima. After all, they were inseparable. It was unusual for them to be apart right now, now that Hinata thought about it. 

He even told Tadashi about how he snuck out at night and talked to Kageyama at the creek, explaining why he was so angry when he heard that Tobio had attacked Sugawara. And the more they talked, the more Hinata revealed. About how Hinata was scared that everyone would get hurt because of him. Scared that Aoba Johsai was going to come after him and kill everyone. 

“It’s not your fault. Blue Castle is just messed up,” Yamaguchi said as he repositioned himself to be more comfortable. They had been talking for quite some time, and it was dark out already. They would need to get to bed soon. 

“I get that but it just feels like it is somehow. I just don’t know anything, everything is so confusing,” Hinata sighed.

“Maybe you could talk to Kageyama?” Yamaguchi suggested. 

“What?! Kageyama? But he’s… ya know.” 

“You did want to know why he attacked Sugawara then protected him. I think we all want to know. If anyone could get it out of him, it would be you.”

“Kageyama probably hates me, and I hate him-”

“No you don’t, you just don’t understand him. You might have hated him before Daichi told you what happened, but now you’re just curious and frustrated,” Yamaguchi refuted and gave Hinata a sly look. 

“I hate it when you’re right. You’re starting to act like Tsukishima,” Hinata narrowed his eyes. 

Yamaguchi laughed and wiped his eyes. “You really should talk to him. I’m supposed to watch over you tonight, but I won’t tell anyone if you happen to sneak out and break into where Kageyama is staying.”

“You wouldn’t.”

“I also wouldn’t notice if you took the key for the house, that might or might not be sitting on the table right across from us,” Yamaguchi wiggled his eyebrows and looked across the room. 

“Tsukishima has definitely rubbed off on you,” Hinata said and pushed himself up off the floor. 

“I trust you won’t do anything reckless, that’s the only reason I told you,” Yamaguchi yawned and scratched at his tall ears. 

“Thank you,” Hinata said as he picked up the key and walked to the door. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Yamaguchi said and closed his eyes. 

Hinata smiled and shut the door behind him softly, blowing out the lamp that was lighting up the room they were in. 

It was quiet out, everyone else was asleep. Some were scattered on the burnt ground, but most were inside the huts. Hinata grinned as he passed by Bokuto and Akaashi, their pinkies touching each other. He knew they would work out whatever was between them, he was positive about that. If only he could know what his future held. 

He stopped in front of the burnt door and took a deep breath. He was in control, he was in control… He shoved the key in and turned it, hearing the door unlock. Reaching out a hand, he grasped the door knob and turned it. 

Kageyama was passed out on the floor against the left wall. All the furniture was taken out of the room, probably for safety reasons, and day old food sat in the corner. His body was covered in bandages, mainly around his neck and Hinata saw a flash of a memory of him doing that. He shut his eyes tight and then opened them again. He sat down on the adjacent wall after relocking the door as quietly as he could. 

Yamaguchi had told him that Kageyama refused to speak with anyone, he had woken up two days prior to Hinata and complied with orders Daichi had given him to stay in the room and not try to escape. Yaku had treated his wounds, though it seemed that Kageyama was reluctant to let him. He wouldn’t speak though, not even when Yaku poured alcohol over his wounds to clean them, and then stitched up his eyebrow that had been split open. 

But Hinata needed answers, and Kageyama maybe could give them to him. As much as he was angry with the teen, he also yearned to understand him. All he really wanted to do was beat Kageyama up again, but he knew that wouldn’t make him talk and he was also too exhausted to do that. In all honesty, Hinata knew that hurting Kageyama wasn’t the right thing to do, even though it was tempting. He would be cautious, and not let Kageyama make him angry enough to set him off. 

He cleared his throat a few times to wake him up and he met lifeless eyes as soon as he woke up. 

“I, uh, I need you to answer some questions,” Hinata said, now feeling very self conscious. 

Kageyama didn’t answer, he just closed his eyes again. 

Hinata scooted towards him and made a flame in his right hand to see better. Kageyama flinched as he felt the heat and turned his face away. 

“Kill me quickly,” he whispered, eyes squeezing shut with fear.

Hinata couldn’t help but recall how Kageyama reacted to him on the bank of the river. It was almost parallel to this. “You’re so dumb, Bakayama, I’m not going to kill you.”

“You almost did.”

Hinata cringed and ran a hand on the back of his neck, “Yeah, sorry about that. I, um… shit I don’t really know how to explain this.” 

Kageyama grunted in response. 

This was awkward, Hinata concluded. He knew that Kageyama wasn’t as much as a threat, but still, his attitude had changed so much since he first met him. 

“Just so you know, I still don’t trust you,” Hinata glowered. 

“Wouldn’t blame you.” 

“Ugh, can’t you just talk to me. I need answers.”

“Then ask,” Kageyama said in a monotonous voice. 

“So I know you attacked Sugawara, but now I know that you also protected him against another tiger-semifer. So if you could just explain that, that would help… I guess,” Hinata mumbled and twiddled his thumbs. Really, he should have practiced this before he entered the hut. 

Kageyama stayed quiet. Hinata was about to yell at him but then he spoke up. “It’s complicated.”

Hinata groaned out and rolled onto his back, wincing because he forgot about his injuries. Why couldn’t Kageyama just tell him? Maybe threatening him wasn’t such a bad idea anymore- no. Yamaguchi had trusted him. If he was going to do this, he was going to do this the right way. “I have time.”

“I thought that wolf was my mother-”

Hinata burst out laughing and then went quiet when Kageyama didn’t start laughing too. “Wait, you’re not joking?” 

Kageyama stared at him before continuing. “I was in some sort of trance, I guess you could call it. I’m not really sure. But Oikawa-san just brought me over the edge with stuff that happened in my past.”

“Oikawa?”

“The tiger who ordered me to kill you.” 

“Oh,” Hinata said. The air was thick. “So, why’d you try to kill him if you thought he was your mother?”

“I think you can put two and two together,” Kageyama sighed and turned away. 

Hinata glanced at his scarred right leg before realizing. “Oh,” he said again, not knowing what else to say. This wasn’t answering anything. It did make him feel weird though, it felt like he was stepping into territory he shouldn’t be. It didn’t make sense for Kageyama to just answer so willingly. It felt as though Kageyama just didn’t have the strength to care anymore, no hope for his future, or to continue living. “I’m sorry-”

“Don’t pity me. I deserved it.” Kageyama barked. 

Now Hinata was angry. “No one deserves that. Not even you. So don’t go throwing around stuff like that lightly.”

“I killed someone. That’s why I deserved it. I killed someone dear to me. It doesn’t matter anymore. I’ll be seeing her soon anyway-”

“Shut up!” Hinata yelled and hit Kageyama on the shoulder. Kageyama cried out and Hinata recoiled, regretting it immediately. “I don’t care what you did, no one deserves that. Now can you just finish answering my question?”

Kageyama rolled his shoulder and glared at Hinata before continuing. “I protected him from Oikawa because I wanted to be better. For the last moments of my life I wanted to do something good. I thought Oikawa was going to kill me, and he came close to it, but then he just left,” Kageyama looked at his hands and let out an audible breath. “But then you came back and I was happy when you tried to kill me. You could have given me peace.”

“Oh shut up! Doing one good thing just before you die is not redemption. I don’t know what you’ve done in your life, but this won’t help you in the afterlife if you believe in that. And I’m not killing you, so if you want to be a better person you’re going to have to work for it. You’re going to have to change your habits,” Hinata yelled. He didn’t know he had gotten so worked up, but he was panting at the end of his speech. 

Kageyama didn’t respond for a minute or two. They just sat in silence, the only thing providing light being Hinata’s flame. “Do you have any more questions?”

“What? You can’t just move on from that so quickly!” Hinata yelled. 

“Well what do you want me to say, dumbass?” Kageyama growled and flicked his tail around. 

There, that was the Kageyama Hinata knew. “I don’t know, just, did that even have an impact on you at all?” 

Kageyama shrugged and looked away. 

“Well, I’m not giving up on you. I don’t care that you’ve given up. So you better eat the food we give you and build your strength back up. I’ll come back tomorrow, but right now you’re pissing me off. So, goodnight,” Hinata said and shot up from where he was sitting. 

As he stormed over to the door Kageyama said, “That wasn’t a very nice ‘goodnight.’”

Hinata felt a grin grow on his face and he closed the door behind him. Maybe he had gotten through to Kageyama a little bit. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I️ am not sure if I️ am able to update every week, but I️ will try! We are almost halfway done with this fan fiction, which sounds really weird, but I️ also might add another chapter at the end if I️ need it. Kudos, comments, and sharing this work is greatly appreciated, thank you all so much for reading :)


	9. Chapter Nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hinata reunites with Sugawara after discussing with the group plans to move forward.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I️ AM SO SORRY! It has been literally three weeks since I️ last updated but I'm going to be totally honest, I️ had no idea how to write this chapter. I️ decided to split it up into two chapters so I️ might make the total number of chapters 18 instead of 17.
> 
> The first couple days I️ thought I️ just needed a break from writing but then I️ realized I️ had really bad writers block, like the worst I've ever had. Then, I️ just got really down on myself one day. I️ got super anxious about college in the fall and everything that's happening in the world, (please help all you can whether that be petitions, protests, donations, or just educating yourself). I️ knew I️ just needed to step away from writing for a bit. Writing has been my outlet but I️ turned it into something that stressed me, I️ needed to make it exciting again by not doing it for a while. So I️ just kept planning and thinking of how to write this chapter until I️ was itching to write. There was definitely times writing this when I️ just wanted to stop but I️ pushed through! I️ had to go back and reread some parts to make sure I️ covered everything I️ needed to. 
> 
> I️ really hope you all enjoy this chapter, it is by far one of the most important chapters in my opinion, (as well as the next one but whatever). It was important for the plot and to progress the story. I️ think that was why I️ was afraid to write it, I️ was terrified that I️ would mess it up and have to fix plot holes in later chapters. 
> 
> Anyway, I️ know you want to read so sorry for this longer chapter note, you can go ahead and read now!

Chapter Nine 

Although Hinata had come back to the house quickly after talking to Kageyama, he still couldn’t fall asleep easily. What they discussed floated around his brain and created more questions. Kageyama was obviously dealing with something and he wasn’t in the right mental state when he had come to Karasuno earlier that week. Why did he even come to Karasuno? Hinata groaned and rubbed his hands over his face. Why didn’t he ask Kageyama when he visited him? He needed to write down all his questions before speaking to the tiger again, otherwise he would have a lot more sleepless nights than he wanted. Then he could figure out if he should still resent him or not. Kageyama frustrated him to no end, but Hinata was determined to understand and help him the best he could. 

The next morning Yamaguchi acted as if Hinata didn’t visit Kageyama, which really helped when Daichi came and checked in to find that Hinata looked exhausted. Daichi could tell when Hinata lied, so Yamaguchi was there to back him up when Sawamura was suspicious of Hinata’s behavior. 

Maybe it was because Shouyou was stricken with anxiety about the situation he was in that Daichi allowed him to see visitors. Hinata’s eyes lit up when Daichi said he could go visit Sugawara later in the day, he hadn’t seen him in over a week and he was dying to talk to him. 

Daichi told him that he had to aid the pack with reconstruction as he rebuilt his own strength, as well as attend a meeting with his escorts, Nekoma, and some of those from Karasuno. Daichi said that they would discuss plans moving forward, which caused Shouyou to feel queasy. 

Turns out that helping while he was stuck inside wasn’t so fun. He continued knitting new blankets, which he struggled greatly with. Ennoshita came to visit him with Narita and Kinoshita late in the morning, and tried their best to teach him how to properly use the yarn and needles. Shouyou ended up throwing them on the ground and just watching his senpai’s work while talking about random things. 

It was nice to catch up with them, Hinata wasn’t very close with Narita and Kinoshita, but he knew they could be mischievous just like Noya and Tanaka. But without the other two, they were more reserved and quiet. Kinoshita, in the past, tended to be timid and awkward, but Narita would whisper to him and he would laugh every now and then. 

They were inseparable, and Chikara watched over them and made sure they were safe. When Hinata was younger, he always imagined that if anything happened to Daichi or Suga, Ennoshita would be a great leader who everyone would trust. 

Shouyou would have given anything to be like them. To say it in the nicest way, they blended in. Each of their coats was a different neutral shade of brown and their ears were of average height. They were decent during hunts and could hold their own, but were much better when working together. They weren’t short, or had unruly red hair, they definitely weren’t human, and they got along with everyone pretty well without causing disturbances. What a life that would be. 

It was early afternoon that Yaku entered the small cabin and kicked them out. He said that Shouyou’s wounds needed to be checked up on again, which made Hinata scowl. Just when he was starting to become comfortable in his packs company, it had to be disturbed. 

As unfortunate as his senpai’s leaving was, the arrival of Kuroo and Kenma made his mood lighten. It was when Yaku was rebandaging his torso the door opened to the two figures. 

“Kenma!” Shouyou shouted as he saw the snake pop out from behind the spider-monkey’s shadow. 

Kenma nodded in response but was interrupted by Kuroo’s loud voice. 

“Geez, kid. What does your pack usually do? This reconstruction sure is tiring!” Kuroo said and slumped down against the wall. 

“Shush, Kuroo. I’m in the middle of this,” Yaku sighed and pulled the bandage harder, causing Hinata to whimper out. “And shouldn’t you still be helping outside? You were the one who promised to help Karasuno in any way possible.” 

“Oh shut up, I’m doing all I can,” Kuroo yawned and picked up a damp rag and placed it on his forehead. 

Kenma slithered over to where Shouyou was sitting and sat down next to him. “We have a meeting tonight.” 

“I heard,” Hinata said as Yaku finished his work. 

“We need to talk, too,” Kozume said quietly. “About Nekoma and me.”

As much as Hinata wanted to tell his friend that he didn’t need an explanation, he was curious about his friend's secret life. He waited in silence for Kenma to continue. 

“I brought Kuroo with me to help clarify-”

“I would have believed what you said either way,” Hinata said, sitting up straighter and turning his body towards the snake. 

“Yaku, you seem to have finished, could you leave?” Kuroo asked and removed the washcloth from his head. 

He received a glare from the smaller man, who flicked his long tail angrily but who eventually did leave. 

It was just the three of them now, and the air was heavy. Hinata understood that Daichi as well as Akaashi and Bokuto probably already got an explanation while he was asleep, and he felt a twinge of jealousy course through him. He pushed it aside though, knowing that it wasn’t personal, he was merely asleep and not awake. Kenma would tell him no matter what, it didn’t matter if others knew first. 

“Tetsurou and I have been friends since childhood, actually he was my first real friend. I don’t really know how we met but he’s been apart of my life since I could remember-”

“Aww how sweet of you,” Kuroo said and pouted his lip. 

“Doesn’t mean I won’t leave you now,” Kenma threatened with no real malice behind it. “But I guess we just wanted different things in life, Tetsurou wanted an empire, while I’d rather live a quiet life. But even though we have different aspirations, I knew that I wanted to stay friends with him.”

Hinata stared at Kenma in awe. It was weird to hear the snake talk about wanting someone in his life. He always was so quiet and never showed his emotions, it would catch anybody off guard. 

“And Kenma is important to me too, so I knew I wanted him by my side… even though I never knew about you,” Kuroo gestured to Hinata. 

“We talked about this already,” hissed Kenma under his breath. 

Hinata chuckled at their exchange. 

“I’m sorry for not letting either of you know about each other. I’ve realized that I can’t keep parts of my life separate, I can’t keep hiding.”

Hinata knew that there was more to the story, but decided not to push his luck. If Kenma wanted to tell him later, he would, and Hinata respected that. Kenma could keep parts of his life private, but now he learned he couldn’t keep everything a secret. He was learning and growing, which was all that mattered to Shouyou. Kenma was still Kenma, even though he was The Brain. And Shouyou was still his friend, no matter what. 

  
  


***

Hinata had gotten to know Kuroo a little better that day. Although they didn’t discuss more about the past, Hinata had learned a lot about Kenma and Kuroo’s relationship by their interactions. 

Kuroo was laid-back and also a schemer, much like Tanaka and Noya, but he was very kind to Kenma. Hinata might even have said that Kuroo was fond of Kenma. He wasn’t sure if it was reciprocated though. It was hard to read Kozume’s emotions at times. He seemed to treat Kuroo how Akaashi was to Bokuto… Hinata didn’t know though. One thing he was sure of though, Kuroo’s personality was admirable and he definitely got the wrong impression of him the first time they met. He bet that if Kuroo spent some time with Bokuto, they would get along great.

The day passed by in a blur when Kenma and Kuroo were there, and soon enough there was a knock at the door. The three of them turned around and saw Tsukishima standing there with his usual emotionless face. 

“Tsukki!” Kuroo called and shot up, running towards the wolf. 

Hinata glimpsed at Kenma in question, confused as to why Kuroo was friendly with Tsukishima and not only that, but calling him ‘ _Tsukki.’_

“We worked with him yesterday, Kuroo finds him ‘interesting,’” Kenma whispered. 

Hinata giggled into his palm and turned back to Tsukishima as he told the older semifer to not call him by his nickname. 

Turns out that Tsukishima was there to tell all three of them that Daichi wanted them outside for a meeting. 

Hinata groaned and pushed himself off the floor. He was dreading this meeting. It was all about him and how to keep everyone safe _because_ of him and what he caused. It felt like a constant blow to the chest even though he knew it wasn’t meant to be taken that way. 

They found themselves were the futons used to be, except logs were there instead and there was a bonfire in the middle. There were already semifers sitting on the logs, seeming to be waiting for their arrival. 

Excluding him, Kenma, and Kuroo, there were four other semifers present. Bokuto, Akaashi, Daichi, and unexpectedly, Ennoshita. The rest of Hinata’s pack seemed to be in their respective houses, making Hinata’s stomach flip with anxiety. It was just the seven of them, all attention would be on him, even if he wasn’t the one talking. 

His thoughts were broken as Daichi started speaking when they sat down. “Good, everyone is here. Well mostly anyway,” he paused to chuckle awkwardly. “Yaku is going to join us after he finishes taking care of Kou- I mean Sugawara, and hopefully the latter will be joining us tomorrow if he is up for it. So as a stand-in, Ennoshita is here to be by my side as next in line if anything happens. Any questions?” 

Hinata squirmed on the log he was seated on and briefly wondered why Ennoshita was here instead of Azumane, but then the image of Asahi sitting with this group of people answered his question. Asahi was far too anxious to be able to handle this situation, though Hinata was sure that Daichi was telling him everything in private. They were best friends after all, Daichi wouldn’t hold important information from Asahi, but he was kind enough to not put his friend in an uncomfortable position. 

“Okay great, tonight we’ll be discussing proposals moving forward. Mainly ways to protect everyone but also what to do with the tiger, if we get there. 

“The original plan of bringing Hinata to the human village didn’t work out, Sei Joh still attacked not only him, but Sugawara. We have no guarantee that they won’t attack again, so we need to protect Karasuno while also rebuilding,” Daichi spoke. 

Akaashi raised his hand and Daichi allowed him to speak. Though Akaashi was quiet, he was intelligent, it was no surprise that he had already come up with an idea. “This might be a controversial proposal, but why don’t we move Karasuno to a new territory instead of trying to rebuild. We can’t exactly rebuild all the plants that have been destroyed,” Hinata sucked in a breath, “We can’t wait for the plants to grow back to provide security. If we moved everyone into Nekoma or even my territory, it would supply a little safety from Aoba Johsai. Blue Castle is unaware that we are here to help, they wouldn’t know you have moved unless someone from your pack scents in a new place.”

Hinata felt his heart drop. It was a reasonable and thought out idea, but it felt he was being blamed. It was because of him that they didn’t have protection from the jungle. He burned it down. His hands shook and he felt the hum of power in them, begging to be released. Shoving his hands under his thighs, he prayed to the gods to let him be able to control his curse-like gift. 

“It is a smart idea, but we have to remember that the comfort of the pack is taken into consideration. I’ll have to discuss this more with Sugawara and see what he thinks,” Daichi said in a tense voice. Hinata could tell that Daichi didn’t want to move everyone, but he knew it might have to be done for protection. 

“I have an idea,” Kuroo said with his tail raised like a hand.

Daichi nodded.

“I could bring Nekoma here. Have some of my strongest watch over and be on the lookout for tigers. I know it’s just me and Yaku right now, but I have more that could help.”

Kenma cleared his throat. “There will be too many scents if we follow any of these.”

Everyone let out a disappointed sigh. 

“I can smell the tiger’s and if they’re coming closer, but Kozume is right, my precise nose will be compromised if there are too many scents in one area. It’s already hard right now, with everyone here. There’s seven different distinct scents from each species, adding more individual odors will muddy my senses,” Bokuto added. 

“It seems like there are too many semifer’s in one area right now,” A voice said. 

Everyone turned around and saw Yaku walking towards the group, his medical bag held up by his tail and a glass of water in his right hand. He sat down next to Kuroo and dropped his bag to the floor with a thump. 

“Sugawara is doing better, he still needs a while to fully recover, but his minor injuries have healed and the major ones have made significant progress during these past few days,” updated Yaku. 

“Thank you, Yaku. What did you say about too many semifers?” Daichi questioned and his ears twitched with the mention of Koushi. 

Yaku explained, similar to Kenma, that there were too many scents in the area. Any semifer would be intrigued by the complex scent they were giving off and would most likely check it out, no matter if they had positive or destructive intentions. 

Hinata rustled in his seat as he tuned out everyone talking and Kenma glanced over at him with worry. It was getting harder to make the buzzing in his hands go away, he was just becoming more anxious as the meeting progressed. What if there was no way to keep everyone safe?

“-in the human village.” That caught Hinata’s attention as well as everyone else's. 

“Huh?” Hinata’s eyes shot up to find who was talking. 

Bokuto rubbed the back of his neck, becoming self-conscious as he realized what he said was radical. “I said that maybe we all could live in the human village. There are some semifer’s that do that, you know? They use a glamor to conceal their animalistic features so they can blend in with humans, away from their enemies.”

That left the group in silence. Sure it was extreme but there was some thought to it. They didn’t know a mage though, and learning magick was a dark and dangerous thing. The Kami gave each of the humans one of their powers, and made semifer’s half man and half beast to have enhanced features; the fusion of the best traits from an animal and a human. Messing with magick made the Kami upset, for each creation was gifted in different ways. It was an insult to them and thus, learning magick had negative side effects.

Why humans and semifers didn’t get along was a question everyone had. There was misinformation, ill opinions, and a lot of judgment from the past that carried over in each generation. It became normal for them to live separately and not interact with each other, even so as for semifer’s to not form connections with other semifer’s. 

The assumptions about each group influenced them without their knowledge; Semifer’s became more wild and lived away from society, and humans became violent and were taught that semifer’s were feral. It created a division between everyone and caused many battles throughout history.

Maybe, somewhere out there, there were semifers and humans that lived together peacefully, but not where Shouyou was. He grew up living in a bubble, only knowing as much as Daichi and Koushi taught him. Perhaps, after all this was over, Hinata would decide to travel and find those places. Not only for him, but for his pack and for his friends. 

  
  


Daichi finally spoke up after what seemed like hours of tense silence. “It will need to be thought about more. It does eradicate the scent and territory issue if we can find a mage that conceals or masks that. But there are other… complications.” 

“As much as I dislike the idea, there are certain semifers in this group that could learn magick,” Kenma said.

“What are you talking about?!” Hinata yelled, the first time speaking his opinion during the meeting. His fingertips had small flames on them and he quickly realized and shook them out. “Magick can damage your life energy, everyone knows that,” he finished. 

“Yes, but there are certain animals that have ties to magick. Some animals that we are mixed with. It could protect us and water down the negative side effects instead of receiving them with full force,” Kenma said and twiddled his thumbs. 

Hinata looked away and waited for the others to discuss. 

Akaashi spoke up, “I have heard of what Kozume is talking about. Most known is serpent magick. The snake represents the cycle of life, maybe the Kami would be forgiving-”

“The Kami are not forgiving!” Hinata yelled and stood up. “Their ‘gifts’ are not even helpful! They’re poison!”

“Shouyou!” Daichi stood up as well and sent a glare towards him. “You know that you’re not stable. Please calm yourself.” 

Hinata’s face fell and he sat back down, head cast down. If he was a wolf, his ears would have been turned back with shame and his tail would have been between his legs. This was embarrassing. 

Ennoshita seemed to sense Daichi’s mood and spoke for him. “I think we all need to think this over and get some rest. We’ll pick this back up tomorrow at the same time. A reminder that our blankets and shelters are open to you for all your help.” 

Hinata pushed himself up off the log and stormed away as fast as he could but was caught by someone holding onto his forearm. He turned around and saw Daichi there, a sad expression on his face. The fire crackled in the background and cast a shadow over half of Daichi’s face, illuminating his eyes. The amount of emotion held in them made Hinata stumble and stop trying to get away. Yes Daichi called him out in front of everyone, but Hinata knew it was for his own good. As much as he wanted to stay mad at the wolf, he knew that he didn’t mean any harm. 

“Do you have a minute?” Daichi asked as everyone made their way into the houses. 

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kenma, Kuroo, Akaashi, and Bokuto make their way into one of the houses. Maybe they all would become friends, Hinata thought. Turning his attention back to Daichi, he nodded, letting the older man know to continue. 

“I promised you this morning that you could see Koushi. Do you still want to do that?”

Shouyou’s eyes lit up and he looked up at Daichi. “You’re serious? I thought maybe you changed your mind because of what just happened.”

“I wouldn’t do that, you know that, Shou. You don’t need to tell him what happened these past few days, he already knows. C’mon, lets go and see him together,” smiled Daichi and led the way to their cabin. 

The sun was almost all the way down now, Hinata looked at the colorful skyline and tried to calm his beating heart. He briefly wondered how they were housing this many people, but pushed the thought out of his mind because they were approaching the door now. 

The charred doors were a constant reminder of his lack of control but that that didn’t matter. He was full of so many emotions that they all seemed to blur together. None of them were good, none of them were bad, just there and making him _feel_. What would Suga say to him? Would he be angry with him? Disappointed? He pushed his thoughts away and shook his hands to calm himself.

He grasped the handle, took a deep breath, and finally, opened the door. 

Koushi was propped up against the wall with multiple blankets cocooning him. His broken leg was held straight out with a splint attached to it as well as some bandages. It wasn’t lopsided anymore which made Shouyou breathe out in relief. His chest was bandaged as well as his right arm. Thankfully, those major injuries seemed to be healing well. The smaller wounds were almost gone, it had been about a week since Hinata first saw what Sugawara looked like after the fight but his face had improved significantly. There were still bruises on his face, but they had faded into a greenish yellow color, though parts were still a deep purple. His busted lip had stitches in it, but was looking almost back to normal. 

“Suga,” Hinata whispered and stood in the doorway. He seemed to have forgotten how to move. He hadn’t talked to Koushi since leaving for the village. 

Koushi turned his head to the voice and his mouth dropped as he saw Shouyou. “Shouyou.”

Hinata felt the feeling return in his legs and he tore to Suga, almost tripping over his feet. 

He crashed into the man and wrapped his arms around him tightly, forgetting to be careful for both of their injuries. 

Sugawara grunted in response but hugged the teen even tighter, running his palm through Shouyou’s tangled hair. 

The sound of Suga’s heart beating made Hinata shut his eyes to hold back happy tears. He was so worried that Suga wouldn’t have recovered. But he was living and breathing and hugging him. 

“I’m so happy you’re okay,” Koushi whispered and kissed the top of his head. 

“You’re happy?” Hinata pulled away and wiped at his eyes. “I’m happy. You had no idea how worried I was. I-I don’t know how to describe how glad I am to see you awake.”

“He took the words right out of my mouth,” Daichi said and closed the door behind him. He crossed his arms over his chest and smiled down at them. 

“Let’s,” Koushi paused to wipe his eyes, “lets just all try to calm down, okay?” 

Shouyou nodded and looked up at Suga. He let go of him and scooted over, trying not to worsen Suga’s wounds. 

It took a few minutes, but they gathered their bearings and calmed down as best they could. It was still hard to contain their emotions, but it was necessary to be able to have a conversation. 

“Why are you back?” Koushi questioned after Hinata had found a comfortable position to sit in. It wasn’t accusatory, more curious than anything. Daichi had told him that Hinata was back but he wanted to hear what Shouyou would say.

“I heard about what happened and I had to come back. I was just so angry at Kageyama-”

“Kageyama?” Suga asked, confused.

“The first tiger who attacked you. I met him a couple days before he came to Karasuno. He tried to attack me.”

“I told you that that tiger was here when you first woke up. Do you remember?” asked Daichi, checking to see if Suga’s memory was altered. 

“Oh yes, I remember. You hadn’t told me his name though.” Suga paused and licked his chapped lips. “Has he eaten or spoken to anyone? I really hope he’s alright.”

Hinata watched in awe at Koushi. For him to wish the best for his attacker was admirable. “You’re not upset with him?”

“Fuck no-”

“Language,” Daichi warned. 

Koushi glared back. “It wasn’t him. I mean it was, but not really. I could tell from his eyes that he was in some trance or something. And I was awake when he stopped punching me. He was disgusted with what he did when he came to his senses. Maybe the other tiger had used magick on him?”

“I hadn’t even considered that,” Daichi mused as Hinata thought the same.

Shouyou knew the tiger had some trauma, but maybe there was magick as well that influenced his actions. “We can’t know for sure. Someone should try to talk to him to find out more.”

Daichi sighed. “We’ve tried every single time we give him food and check on his wounds. I’m starting to think he’s gone mute.”

Hinata looked away, feeling guilty about lying to them because Kageyama and him had just had a conversation together yesterday. “I could try?” he asked in a small voice. 

Koushi bent down and looked at Shouyou’s face. “He’s already talked to the tiger.”

“What?! How did you know-”

“You went and talked to him?!” Daichi yelled. 

“I didn’t actually know, I was guessing. You seemed like you were hiding something,” smirked Suga. 

“You talked to him?!” Daichi yelled again, still in shock. 

Hinata cracked his knuckles anxiously. “I might have talked to him yesterday night-”

“So that’s why you were acting weird this morning. You know you aren’t allowed to see him-”

“Oh calm down, Daichi. Who cares? At least we know that the tiger isn’t mute,” Koushi said. 

Daichi grumbled in response but kept quiet. Shouyou knew he was angry with him and scooted closer to Sugawara, hoping that he would protect him. 

“Don’t think you’re safe with me,” Suga threatened. “I am still mad at you. You shouldn’t have come back and put yourself in danger. If I wasn’t so sore I would be beating your ass right now.”

“I know, I know. I shouldn’t have blown up and flipped,” mumbled Shouyou. 

“Oh, I don’t give a shit about that, Shou-”

“You don’t?” Hinata’s head snapped up. 

“Of course I don’t. Really it’s mine and Daichi’s fault for not letting you practice with your flames. I guess we were just so scared that another incident would occur so we tried to stop you from using your gift. Which is exactly what caused it to happen again. It’s not your fault that you never learned to control them. 

“But I’m still angry that you came back without knowing the situation. What if the tigers were still here?! They could have killed you!” Suga ranted and slapped Shouyou’s arm. 

Hinata chuckled and rubbed his arm. It was a relief to know that Suga wasn’t mad because of his lack of control. He had so many fears that Suga would hate him and want him gone. It didn’t make the guilt disappear, but just a little more bearable. 

“Would it be okay for me to talk to him, then?” Shouyou looked at Sugawara, then at Daichi. 

“He’s just going to go see him even if we say no. Besides, we know he didn’t hurt him when he talked to him. What’s the worst that could happen?” Koushi said to Daichi. 

“Fine, okay.”

“Yes! Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you! I promise I'll figure out what really happened. I can bring him his food as well-”

“Woah slow down there, I said you could talk to him, not hang out with him. Before you were so angry at him that you flipped. What changed?” Daichi asked, brows furrowed. 

Shouyou really didn’t know himself. He was curious more than enraged, though the anger still existed. “I guess I just want to know the truth rather than beat him up. He’s… I don’t know. I thought he was a terrible person before I knew he was in a daze, but now I’m just confused. I need to know more about him to decide whether or not he’s a bad guy.”

“You should go to him now,” Suga suggested. 

“What? But we’re talking.”

“Just come back when you finish up. Daichi and I will make a place for you to sleep here with us,” smiled Suga. Daichi moved over and wrapped him in an one-armed hug. He nuzzled his hair and played with Suga’s soft ears. 

“Ew gross, yeah I think I’m going to leave,” Shouyou said and pretended to fake puke. He felt a blush bloom on his cheeks at their encounter, he always felt he shouldn’t be looking when they were intimate. 

“See you soon!” Daichi called out to Hinata as he left.

Hinata turned and waved back, becoming even more red when he saw Suga kissing Daichi’s neck. 

***

After grabbing the keys from the makeshift hospital house, (that now had four people sleeping in it), he walked over to Kageyama’s cabin. He unlocked the door with confidence this time, knowing that he would get somewhere with the tiger tonight. 

He closed the door behind him as softly as he could and locked it, then dropped the keys into the pocket of his shorts. He ambled over to the sleeping form of Kageyama and sat down a few feet away. 

His bandages were changed, but he still looked bad. He had made as much progress as Suga, and now looking more closely, Shouyou realized that their injuries were pretty similar. Maybe Oikawa had some tendencies when he fought. 

He poked Kageyama with his foot until he woke up. 

“Hi,” Hinata said, feeling less confident now that he was actually talking to him. 

Kageyama grunted, acknowledging Shouyou’s presence. 

“So, um, how are you?”

“You’re here for some reason so just get on with it,” Kageyama urged. 

“This feels weird just asking you questions and you telling me-”

“Why?”

Hinata glared at Kageyama and sighed. “Because, I don’t know. I want to learn about you more but I kinda want you to learn about me as well.”

Kageyama started laughing then and it startled Hinata. _Why the hell is this guy laughing_ , Hinata thought and pouted. 

“So basically you want me to be intrigued by you as much as you’re intrigued by me? Is that it? You’re just begging for attention, aren’t you,” Kageyama laughed loudly. 

Hinata almost growled as his face turned red from embarrassment. “Well sorry I wanted to get to know you. You know you can learn a lot about someone by what questions they asked. I just wanted to make sure that you weren’t taking advantage of that.”

“Pshh, yeah, that’s definitely it,” Kageyama said, still chuckling. 

Kageyama was so different than Hinata imagined, it made him just want to keep talking to him. Even though he pissed him off, he was unpredictable and mysterious. Hinata wanted to know him. 

“Fine, we can alternate between asking questions since you’ll get upset if I don’t act interested in you,” Kageyama suggested, still trying to hold back his laughter. 

“I’m not asking you anything until you stop laughing. Even though I don’t seem like I'm a threat I still have my flames,” Hinata reminded him. 

“Please, that’s an empty threat. Anyone who even looked at you would know you wouldn’t hurt a fly. You only hurt people who hurt people you care about. I think I know more about you than you think I do,” Kageyama bragged. 

“Well I know you’re moody. And grumpy. Don’t think I forgot about our little chat at the river. I also know you refuse to talk to anyone here besides me, am I just special or is there a reason?”

Kageyama stopped laughing and glared at the shorter teen before looking down into his lap. 

“What? You’re not going to answer? Maybe I am just special to you. Is that it? Do you _like_ me, Kageyama?” Hinata smirked and wiggled his shoulders. 

“Oh shut up. I can barely even stand you. You’re just one of the only people who don’t hate me for what I’ve done. I don’t know about the others,” Kageyama said but mumbled the last part. 

_Oh._ So that was the reason. Hinata stood up and walked towards an unlit lantern, not looking as Kageyama while he spoke. “Suga doesn’t care, you know. Oh Suga’s the wolf that, well you know. He’s more just worried that you’re okay and whether magick was involved.”

“Magick?” Kageyama asked and watched Hinata light the lamp with his finger tip. The latter walked back over and placed the lantern down, casting a warm glow over both of them. 

“Yeah, like maybe Oikawa used magick to influence your actions. You told me you thought Sugawara was your mother, maybe Oikawa used a spell or something to make you see that?” Hinata ruminated and settled back down on the dusty floor. “Would he ever do something like that?”

Kageyama bit his lip and thought for a moment before answering. “Maybe, but doubtful. Oikawa doesn’t know magick, at least that’s the last I thought. He could have started learning it but it doesn’t seem wise to.” 

Hinata sat and wondered what next to ask. He was yearning to ask about who Kageyama killed but knew it wouldn’t go over well. They were getting somewhere, he didn’t want to ruin it and take two steps back after moving forward. “Well, it’s your turn to ask a question,” he settled with. 

It took awhile for Kageyama to think of one, but it didn’t disappoint. “Why do you want to help me?”

It caught Hinata off guard and he repositioned himself out of discomfort. “I don’t know, I guess that I don’t see you as the enemy anymore. Sure you’ve done some bad things but I don’t think you would do those if you weren’t in a bad position or manipulated into it. I think once I realized that, I couldn’t help but empathize and try to understand who you are.” 

“Thanks,” Kageyama grumbled and looked away. 

Hinata scooted a little closer, his initial fear starting to diminish. “Okay so since we both don’t hate each other-”

“I wouldn’t say that-”

“Shut up!” Hinata roared and slapped Kageyama’s chest causing him to groan out. “Eek! Sorry I forgot you were hurt!”

“No shit,” Kageyama moaned and rubbed his ribs. 

“Are you okay?” Hinata asked and tilted his head. He truly did feel sorry. 

“I’m fine, just a little sore.”

“What injuries do you still have?”

“I’ll tell you after you say what you wanted to say,” Kageyama promised. 

Hinata was about to protest but decided not to. “I was going to ask that since we don’t want to kill each other anymore, do you think we could let go of the past and start over?”

“I don’t think I could forget my past.”

“Well not forget it but just move on from it? What I mean is that I forgive you and you seem to have forgiven me. So, do you think we could… I don’t know, be friends?” 

“I haven’t had a friend in a long time,” Kageyama revealed. 

“That’s okay, it doesn’t matter how many friends you have or don’t have.” Hinata stopped talking to smile at Kageyama. “Now, tell me what injuries you have so I know where I can slap and punch you when you’re being an idiot!” 

Kageyama told him about all his injuries and how Yaku had been checking in on him at least once a day to treat his wounds and also give him food. So far the worst of his injuries was a few bruised ribs and the burns on the upper part of his body. It was likely that it would leave permanent scarring, and if they didn’t heal properly, he would need a skin graft. 

When Oikawa was fighting him, his heat stroke caused him to pass out earlier than he normally would, so he didn’t receive as many injuries as Suga. His injuries from Akaashi and Bokuto had almost healed completely, the only thing showing that it happened being yellow bruises and scabs, as well as a sore shoulder. 

Hinata felt terribly guilty for Kageyama’s burns but Kageyama didn’t seem to care all that much about his condition. It made Hinata sad that he didn’t care about his well being, he would help him get there with time. Even if Kageyama didn’t care about what Hinata did, Shouyou knew he would never forgive himself. 

They talked late into the night, sometimes asking deep questions, but mainly just asking basic silly one’s. Hinata figured out that Kageyama didn’t like to reveal much about his past. He would stiffen and change the subject whenever Hinata would ask about it. As ironic as it sounded, maybe getting to know Kageyama made him even more afraid to open up. 

During their first meeting, Kageyama seemed to answer out of fear and because he was feeling so numb that he just didn’t care. But now that Hinata wanted to be his friend, he would have to face Hinata’s judgement. It was much easier to reveal life secrets to a stranger than to someone who was important to you. 

Not that Kageyama thought Hinata was important to him, he was just… he was just someone who was different. Maybe he could become someone important to him, but right now he was just Hinata. And Kageyama was fine with that. Hinata was someone who cared. Hinata wasn’t like Oikawa, or his mother, or anyone at Aoba Johsai. Hinata sure as hell wasn’t like Kageyama, they seemed to be complete opposites personality wise. Maybe that was what was captivating about the teen. Maybe that was why Kageyama was so nervous to share about his past. He didn’t want to fuck things up again. 

And now Hinata was gone. He had informed the tiger that he was about to fall asleep, but assured him that he would be back tomorrow night. Kageyama didn’t know whether he was relieved or not when Hinata left. It could have been both. 

Grabbing the thin blanket Karasuno provided, he curled up on the floor and closed his eyes. As much as he wanted to be let go, he wouldn’t know where else to stay. As long as he was held here, he would try his best to make the most of it and get to know the boy who seemed to care about him.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I️ hope this chapter didn't disappoint! 
> 
> I️ love reading and replying to everyone's comments, they make me so happy and continue to motivate me to write! 
> 
> I️ think I'm going to try to keep uploading every week, though this chapter has shown that sometimes that doesn't happen. But letting everyone know- I️ would never stop writing this without telling you guys. I️ would at least change the status to completed and write a "chapter" explaining that I'm not going to continue to write. Hopefully that will never happen though. Just want to make sure that no one is worried about that (I️ don't even know if anyone reads these or my work but I️ thought I️ would include it!)
> 
> Thank you again, I️ wish you all the best! <3


	10. Chapter Ten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hinata learns more about magick and makes one of the biggest decisions of his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! I'm terribly sorry this took me a month to write but there was a lot of research I️ had to do to complete it. I️ wanted to make it the most accurate I️ could and I️ wanted the relationship between Kageyama and Hinata to progress at a normal rate. I️ spent a lot of time rearranging parts of this chapter and figuring out the timeline, this is the bets I've come up with. 
> 
> I️ hope you enjoy!

Chapter Ten

Daichi had called for an early meeting that morning, which forced Hinata to pull himself up off the ground and try to make himself wake up enough to understand what they were discussing. The sun was barely up, but Daichi was already awake and getting ready for the day. Although Hinata tended to get up early, this was too much. The ruckus Sawamura was enough to wake up the whole pack. What was he doing anyway? 

Hinata rubbed his eyes and moved to sit up. What seemed to have become a regular occurance, his muscles begged him to stop but he fought through the pain and completed the action. Sleeping on the ground with only a blanket wasn’t helping his injuries heal. It made his sore body worse, but he couldn’t complain. He  _ was  _ the one who had burned all their futons. Everyone was in the same boat as him. 

Soon, the pack would go and purchase items that they needed to restore their home. Shouyou guessed that futons would be included or at least tatami mats that they could place down on the crisp ground. It would make sleeping a little bit more comfortable. 

He had heard Suga and Daichi talking about going to a market the next day when he returned last night after talking with Kageyama. It was hard to fall asleep when his mind was filled with thoughts of the tiger. Kageyama wouldn’t open up to him if he kept pressuring, it would be best to just let Kageyama know he was there for him and treat him like a friend would. 

It was weird how much they seemed to bond the past night. Though their conversation was just a little more than small talk, Hinata felt an instant connection to the tiger. Maybe he was naive, but he felt like he could trust Kageyama. There's just some people you meet and you just know that they will have a huge impact on who you are. Kageyama was that for Hinata. And Hinata hoped he was that to Kageyama. Kageyama was impressionable right now, tender. Like a newborn. A phoenix reborn from flame… literally. Hinata knew he was selfish for wanting to be the person to lead Kageyama in the right direction, but something inside him convinced him it had to be him. 

They just seemed to have clicked after getting past the awkwardness, Hinata felt like he was talking to an old friend rather than getting to know someone for the first time. He didn’t feel judgement from the tiger. He could be himself, flames and all. Thinking back to their first interaction at the river, Kageyama was petrified whenever he saw Hinata’s flames. But now… Kageyama had joked about how Shouyou would never hurt him with his flames. And he spoke confidently about that! His opinion on Hinata’s fire flipped a complete 180, just like how Hinata felt about the tiger. 

Hinata didn’t have a reason to trust Kageyama fully, but he did. He couldn’t help but trust him 100%. The urge to grow and evolve as a person compelled him to trust the tiger. He knew that if he wanted things to change for the better, he had to believe in Kageyama. If he wanted to not feel so alone anymore, he had to go all in. He had to take a chance. It was the only thing he knew how to do. Even if everything messed up, he wouldn’t regret it. He was sure of that. He was determined. And that was what made him realize what he had to do after the meeting. 

He would truly realize what he needed to do after speaking with Kageyama, but right now, Hinata was still just waking up. 

Hinata yawned as he repositioned himself on the log. Daichi was to his right, and Sugawara to his left. He was glad Koushi was able to make it today, and received a small smile from the man when he turned his way. They were waiting for the rest of the group to finish settling in, which proved to be quite boring. Hinata almost fell asleep again but was given a swift wack from Suga when he started dozing off. 

“It’s starting,” Suga spoke in a hushed tone. 

The meeting went smoothly in the beginning; updates on progress made, what they needed to purchase, boring information that Hinata didn’t care about, but Suga did. He scribbled in the small notepad Ennoshita had given him from the previous meeting. Now that Suga was back, Daichi didn’t have to ask his kouhai to attend. Hinata zoned out to the sound of the pencil as Suga scrawled on the paper until they got on the topic of magick once again. 

Daichi had told the group to research magick that had a connection to the animal they had the features of. Hinata didn’t know when or how, but most of the group acquired books all about magick. 

He sent a questioning look towards Daichi when almost half of the group pulled out a variety of books on the topic. 

“I was given a collection of these books from one of the past wolves in our pack. He left with Ukai soon after you arrived,” He whispered. 

Hinata looked to his left and stared at Suga, even more confused than before. Suga told him that Daichi was talking about a man named Takeda Ittetsu. He and Ukai were about a decade older than Daichi and Koushi and had left around the time Hinata arrived. 

Trying to think back, Hinata remembered a man with glasses and short dark hair who accompanied another man with a shaved head. They couldn’t have been no more than 25 at the time, maybe even younger because of semifer maturation. The only other thing he remembered was the rough voice from the one with the shaved head and the faint smell of tobacco. The one with glasses was more soft spoken, but that was it. It made Hinata’s head hurt trying to recall such an old memory that was more than ten years old. 

“Ukai grew his hair out when they left, you were probably eight that last time you saw them. They were always out when you were getting used to the pack. Wanted you to become attached to Daichi and I instead of them so you wouldn’t be upset when they had to leave,” Suga said over the sound of pages being flipped. 

Hinata nodded absentmindedly, still trying to bring up memories of the two. His thought was broken when Daichi asked the group to share what they found; what could be useful and what was definitely out of the question. 

Shouyou kept rapt attention on everyone, wondering what they each were going to say. Bokuto’s hand shot up and he practically bounced in his seat. 

Though Bokuto was bad at explaining, the group mostly understood that the best magick suited for him would be protection spells. Actual bears were very protective, which made it easier for bear semifers to learn protection based spells. Not only that, he might be able to conjure items that they needed to survive. Though Bokuto didn’t hibernate, regular bears did and each winter they would build up their fat reserves to survive the harsh winters. Akaashi did butt in there and refuted the bears point- only bears in cold climates needed to do that. It would be tricky for Bokuto to accomplish such a task when his species didn’t hibernate due to the tropical climate. 

When asked, Bokuto didn’t know the consequences of the magick which caused everyone to sigh. They couldn’t risk it, it could take a huge toll on Bokuto’s body. Akaashi promised to research it more, sending a glare to his seemingly useless friend. 

Continuing what he learned, Akaashi went on to talk about magick relating to panthers. He spoke about how panthers represents darkness, femininity, death, strength, protection, and many more. In Ancient Egypt, panthers were sacrificed to the Gods and priests wore their skin. Akaashi thought that maybe combining the symbolism of darkness and the history of using their skin as coats could allow him to cloak the area they were staying in and provide protection. He guessed that it would backfire on him though. By protecting the pack, he probably had to sacrifice his own safety and maybe even have to use pieces of his own skin to complete the spell. 

Hinata cringed as he talked about it more in depth. He shut his eyes and prayed for the panther to finish. 

Yaku spoke for Kuroo and himself. He said the most possible magick for him and Nekoma would be related to delivering messages of some kind. Monkeys originally were messengers of the Kami so they could possibly learn this spell without any repercussions. But it was not specifically spider monkeys, which still made it somewhat dangerous. 

None of them knew what this skill could be used for, but Daichi made it clear that they wouldn’t start learning magick until they fully understood the risk they would all take. The constant chatter of all voices bringing up different ideas overwhelmed Shouyou, causing him to take deep breaths to not let any of his flames slip. He would build an impenetrable wall between his emotions and his fire, he just hoped it was strong enough to not let the flames creep through and start an inferno. 

As much as he learned about how much his fire was tied to his emotions, Shouyou wanted to cut the string that connected them. Unfortunately, that was the wrong decision, as bottling up his emotions made it difficult to restrain his power. If only Hinata could realize that he just needed to find a way to express his emotions in a healthy way to be able to control the fire. He was doing the opposite of what needed to happen. 

His breathing picked up as the voices increased volume. His thoughts once again zeroed in on the fact that he caused everything bad to happen. Suga noticed his behavior and put his hand on Shouyou’s shoulder. 

“You’re not at fault,” Suga said quietly. 

Hinata was about to snap at Sugawara when Daichi boomed over everyone else's voices. 

“We need to continue! We still haven’t finished what else we learned. Kozume, if you would,” Daichi gestured towards the snake and everyone quieted down. 

Kenma looked up from where he was sitting silently and brought a hand up to pick at the scales on his face. Shouyou knew he did that when he was nervous and looked at him worriedly. Sugawara continued to rub his hand across Hinata’s arm in a comforting matter but Shouyou shook him away. He didn’t know why, but being comforted wasn’t something he thought he deserved right now. All his attention needed to be on Kenma. 

“I don’t think anyone needs to learn magick,” Kenma started. The air became tense as he was the one who was advocating for it so much in the prior meeting. “Serpent magick covers everything that has been talked about. 

“The snake represents rebirth and immortality. This is shown by the snake eating its own tail and creating a circle,” Kenma said and lifted up the book he was holding. It was filled with tiny writing and multiple pictures. The biggest one being the snake in a circle pattern. 

“Not only that, snakes are connected to healing and the creation of everything. This leads into the cosmic serpent, one of the most powerful snake archetypes. I read a lot about it but the main piece of information that everyone should know is that the cosmic serpent is purely a paradox. Yin and Yang, Good and Evil, Light and Dark… every opposite and everything in between exists as one,” Kenma paused and took a deep breath. “The snake is either a friend or foe in all myths, the cosmic serpent is all motifs of snakes combined into one. I believe if I master the cosmic serpent’s power, no one else needs to learn magick.” 

The whole group was dead silent. A leaf falling to the ground would be as loud as a clap of thunder right now. No one could comprehend what the nervous snake had said. 

“Wha-What are the consequences that would occur?” Daichi said after what felt like a lifetime of quiet. 

“‘Every action has an equal opposite reaction,’ if I used this, either whatever I use the magick for would create an opposing reaction of equal strength or the cosmic serpent would take away those reactions because it, itself is a paradox. If the latter happened, I would most likely receive the outcome and it wouldn’t have any effect on the pack. Newton's third law can be applied to all magick though. 

“Anything we do will result in another event of opposite value. Just like how energy cannot be created or destroyed. We have to sacrifice something if we want to use magick. Since the cosmic serpent is the most powerful, only I need to make that sacrifice.” 

As everyone thought quietly, Hinata took the opportunity to speak up in a trembling voice. “How do we know that would work?” 

“It’s a gamble. But from my research it's around 70:30 in our favor. There is by far the most myths and ancient writing on snakes, making it the most trustworthy and strong-”

“But if it backfires, everyone would get hurt,” Hinata said. His eyebrows furrowed and Sugawara grabbed onto his arm again to cool him off.

“Let’s all just calm down. We’re not making any decisions right now, no need to get all heated,” Suga said and directed it towards Shouyou. “Daichi, would you explain what we studied yesterday, I think it would be best to change topics.” 

Daichi swallowed hard and nodded. “Wolves are sensitive to day and night. Magick used by a wolf semifer would be strengthened at night and would focus on protection of the whole pack and intelligence. Wolves are also connected to ravens, or also known as the crow. 

“Wolves and ravens are seen together in nature frequently helping each other. There is a story of a wolf and a raven falling in love but not being able to love each other freely. This is notable because of the mythical creature of the mix of a wolf and a raven. A Valravn. Though the story of how the Valravn came to be and how it got its power is grotesque, it’s knight-like strength is beneficial for us.

“We are Karasuno. What should be expected as a murder of crows is a pack of wolves. We have connections to crows in some way, but I don’t know how. I need to come in contact with the past Alpha and learn as much as I can to see if using Valravn's power is possible.” 

Just like Kenma’s speech, everyone went silent after Daichi finished talking. 

No one spoke up about anything, everyone was too deep in thought. If any of them learned magick it would change  _ everything _ . Daichi knew this. So he thanked everyone for coming and said they would meet again in two days. 

It was getting brighter outside now, the rest of the pack waking up and finding the group leaving. They knew that the near future was being discussed, so it was best that Sawamura ended the meeting then so that no one started to listen in on the conversation. He didn’t want to scare his pack, only those who needed to know were trusted with the information. He would tell them when everything was decided. 

Hinata was grateful that the meeting was cut short. If they talked about magick any longer, he would have surely lost control. Suga seemed to sense this and stayed close to him as they walked back to the cabin. Well, Shouyou was walking, Suga was on crutches. 

“It’ll be okay, just trust Daichi,” he said as Hinata helped him get settled back into his nest of blankets. Though Koushi was allowed to move around, Yaku informed him that it was best if he stayed in bed and rested. That was also the order for Hinata, so he sat down a few feet away from Suga on an old quilt.

Hinata nodded in response to Sugawara, though it was a lie. It was hard to trust Daichi when the only thing that might help them could also hurt them. He closed his eyes and turned his back to Suga. He didn’t want to talk anymore. He picked at a loose thread on the blanket and stared at the camellia tattooed on his wrist. When would things change for the better?

  
  


***

The next day, Daichi finally allowed Hinata to work outside with the pack to rebuild. Though it was hard to see and be around the damage he caused, Shouyou felt good to be able to help in more significant ways. The breeze felt nice after being stuck inside for the past few days. He was glad that Daichi let him go out during the day to help and not just attend meetings when required. 

Koushi warned him not to push himself too hard and now Shouyou knew what he meant. His muscles were so sore that he had a hard time just walking. Yesterday after sulking because of the meeting, Daichi said that he could spend the day outside picking up the remains of dead plants and putting them in a pile to take away. The vegetation needed as much sun as possible for the roots to rebud. Not only that, Shouyou carried water back and forth from the river to water them. Destroying plants and waiting for them to grow back wasn’t the best idea, especially during a drought. 

After the long day, Hinata went and talked to Kageyama to get his mind off of the morning's meeting but ended up falling asleep during their conversation. Kageyama had to shake him awake and told him to get out and stop snoring. Though Kageyama seemed mean, Hinata was just glad that he was talking more. Being mean seemed to be Kageyama’s normal, so Hinata wasn’t fazed by it. He was just happy that Kageyama was able to make him laugh even when he was filled with worry. He hoped he did the same for the tiger. 

Talking to Kageyama was easy, it was a shame they started off on the wrong foot. They were so different from each other, yet so similar. They bickered most of the time, but it was enjoyable. It was comforting. The more Kageyama warmed up to Hinata, the closer the latter became to knowing the tiger’s past. 

It was hard not to think about Kageyama while working, he was so close to Hinata at all times, but wasn’t allowed to leave the cabin. His injuries were still not close to fully healed, so Daichi couldn’t put him to work even if he wanted to. The pack was still wary of him, Hinata knew that. Daichi wouldn’t release him until he knew everyone in Karasuno felt safe. 

Right now, Hinata was currently replaying one of his and Kageyama’s conversations from last night while washing a blanket in the nearby river. The water level was lower than usual, but it still went above his ankles so that was good. The water was refreshing on such a hot day and Hinata laid down in it to cool himself off and ease his muscles. The washboard he was using lay beside him on the bank of the creek, now probably a scalding temperature from sitting out under the sun. 

Hinata sighed and dug his toes into the gravel at the bottom of the water. It would be delightful to just stay like this for hours…

_ Clang!  _

Hinata bolted up from laying and rubbed his shin while trying not to swear from the pain. He glared at Tsukishima who had just hit him with his own washboard. 

“What was that for?!” Hinata demanded. 

“We’re not here to swim, idiot,” the blond answered and the fur on his ears and tail bristled. 

“Why do we all have to wash blankets, this is so boring,” Tanaka complained from Hinata’s left. 

Noya nodded his head in agreement and scrubbed harder against the washboard. He was also in the creek, but only kneeling. His tail was sopping wet and the ends of his shorts had water creeping up them slowly but surely. 

“Daichi is stressed, that’s why,” Yamaguchi whispered from behind Tsukishima’s shadow. 

Hinata understood his leader's anxiety, but did he really need five people to wash all the blankets? He could have sent only two of them, but maybe he didn’t trust that Tanaka and Noya would complete the job by themselves. 

“I heard that Sawamura is sending some of us to the market to get more futons and supplies. Maybe even weapons,” Tsukishima said as he hung one of the blankets on the line to dry. They had set up a line between two trees to hang the blankets up on. 

“Like semifer markets?” Noya asked and threw what he was working on down. Apparently he couldn’t multitask. 

Yamaguchi nodded in Tsukishima's place. 

“He probably didn’t want you three morons there while he sent people off. Probably knew you’d beg to go,” Tsukki laughed and pointed at Hinata and the two older wolves. 

As much as Tsukishima liked to hide it, Shouyou could tell that he was frustrated about the situation they were in too. Whether it be because he was ‘baby-sitting’ them or because he wanted to go to the market as well. 

The mention of the businesses striked up the question if anyone had gone to one before. Hinata learned that Noya had never gone before, but his family before Karasuno went to them every now and then. Now that Hinata thought about it, he didn’t know much about any of his pack members lives before Karasuno. All he knew about Noya’s past was that he was saved by Asahi when they were younger. 

Yamaguchi's family had actually run an underground market; selling items that had been magicked in one way or another. The group had been awestruck when the younger teen revealed that secret and they all stopped cleaning the blankets to listen. Apparently other than Daichi and Suga, only Tsukki knew about it. After all, Tsukki and Yamaguchi were initiated in the pack at the same time. 

It was dangerous to sell such merchandise, and it resulted in the death of both of Yamaguchi’s parents. No wonder Tadashi was always overly cautious, he didn’t want anything to happen to the pack. 

The talk of magick made Hinata yearn to get the meeting's contents off his chest. About how Daichi was considering for some of the pack and their allies to learn magic so they could live in a human village away from Aoba Johsai’s harm. He knew that it would cause a ripple effect though, making more questions arise and result in Yamaguchi becoming very uncomfortable. So he clamped his mouth shut and continued to listen to his friends conversation.

“Wait, you’re telling me that you’ve been to one of the markets?” Tanaka yelled and Noya slapped him to quiet down a bit. They were talking about a sensitive and dangerous subject. If anyone was listening nearby… who’d know what they would do with the information. 

Tadashi nodded and submerged a small blanket into the creek. “You can buy a lot of stuff there. But I shouldn’t talk about it here-”

“It’s in the past anyway, it’s not like you’re going to go to any of the markets. Sawamura wouldn’t trust you,” Tsukki cut in and ended the conversation, seeming to know that Yamaguchi’s anxiety was increasing with every passing minute. 

Tanaka sighed defeatedly and went back to scrubbing the blanket he was holding. “What about you, Tsukki?”

“Tsukishima,” Kei corrected. “My family was close to Tadashi’s, we basically have the same past. That’s all you need to know.” 

For the remainder of the time at the river, Noya and Tanaka conversed, might Hinata say loudly, about what they would buy at a semifer market. It also turned into if they could manipulate magick, what they would do with it. They talked as if they didn’t know about the terrible side effects of magick, maybe they didn’t know. But it caused both Hinata and Yamaguchi to retreat into themselves. It didn’t seem to have an effect on Tsukishima, but he could have just been skilled at hiding it. 

Hinata’s brain raced with thought. What if Daichi allowed them to learn magick? No, he would never do that. Hinata just couldn’t shake the thought out of his head though. He wouldn’t allow Daichi to give the okay. Maybe the best option for the pack was for Hinata to leave again. Not just for a few months. But for good. So that they would never have to deal with the tigers wrath again. His smell would only attract other semifers. It was baffling to how they survived this long without being the target of any attacks. Hinata thought back to what Kuroo said a week ago. Aoba Johsai was waiting for him to turn 18 so that they could fight him as an adult.

Hinata didn’t know the rules or laws that semifers had about combat against other packs, but from what Kuroo said, him being 18 opened up many possibilities for what could happen. Maybe there were a bunch of other semifers that wanted revenge on him for what he did ten years ago. He just didn’t know. No one did. He had to assume the worst, he couldn’t let those he held dear to him get hurt because of him. He had to leave. For everyone's safety. 

He tried to calm his mind, he knew he would ignite if he found himself caught in his own trap. The humming was almost comforting as he felt it throughout his whole body. Almost being the key word. If he refused to let his emotions control his physical reactions, then it would be comforting. Something that he held power over in his life. But they ruled him, so he had to take precautions at all times and breathe deep every now and then.

“-you. Shouyou! Are you even listening?” Noya yelled and pounced on the teen. 

Shouyou was cut from his thoughts as he fell to the ground under the weight of his senior. He groaned out, his injuries not fully healed and Noya scrambled off him as he realized. 

“Oops, forgot you were still injured,” Noya said and rubbed the back of his neck, his tongue sticking out sheepishly. 

“It’s fine,” Hinata murmured and rolled his shoulder. 

“Hey, what is that?” Noya said and pushed Hinata back down to shove his pointer finger on his neck. 

Hinata made a noise in question and tried to look where Nishinoya was pointing. He craned his neck down as far as it could go to try to spot whatever was on his body but failed. 

“Hey, yeah, what is that?” Tanaka questioned and leapt over to where they were sitting. 

“What? What is it?” Hinata yelped and searched for what they were staring at so intently. 

“There's a line around your neck. Pale, but visible if someone was to look for it. It just got brighter but then dimmed down,” Yamaguchi briefed. He too seemed to be curious. A little afraid, but curious nonetheless. 

Out of the corner of his eye, Shouyou saw Tsukishima clean his glasses on his tank. His breath picked up, not understanding what was happening. 

“There it is again!” Noya said and pointed again. 

So it was related to his power, Hinata concluded. When he started to get worried, the power behind his flames started to build in his body, activating whatever this thing was. 

“I should talk to Daichi about it,” Hinata rushed and shot up from the water. His shorts dripped with water and he didn’t even bother to wring them out before he bolted towards their home. 

Shouyou didn’t bother knocking as he approached the hut. “Daichi!” He yelled as he busted through the front door. What he saw in front of him was not what he expected though. 

Sugawara and Daichi were laying on a new futon, which Hinata might have noticed that it was new if the actions of what the couple were doing didn’t startle him. Hinata was under the impression that Yaku was in charge of taking care of Sugawara’s wounds, but it seemed that Daichi was the doctor today. Not only did the man remove Koushi’s clothes to get a ‘better look at his injuries,’ it also appeared that he was giving the patient a full body examination. 

Hinata swore and turned on his heels to rush back outside. That was something he really did not need to see. He didn’t even want to know why they were doing something like that when most of the pack was still in the vicinity. Shuddering, Hinata spun back around and clutched the doorknob. A minute or so after, Hinata turned the handle and prayed that the scene in front of him would be different from the previous one. 

Suga was back in clothes, well, most of his clothes. As was Daichi. Hinata’s eyes flickered from one man to the other. Daichi had a faint blush on his cheeks, the rosy color seeming to darken as seconds passed by. Sugawara adjusted the splint on his leg after checking to make sure his bandages were still intact. 

“I’m not going to comment on that but all I hope is that your activities,” Hinata paused and cringed at his word choice, “are not harming or halting the healing of Suga’s wounds.” 

Daichi chuckled and his eyes darted around nervously. Hinata sighed while he pulled up a chair to slump down into. 

Deciding that this was more important than what was happening between his adoptive parents, Hinata told them both about what Noya and the others had witnessed. Daichi scanned over his neck and ran a finger across the pale line that wrapped around it. 

Suga seemed to be worried as well and kept stealing glances at Daichi, communicating with him silently. 

“Should Yaku come check it out?” Hinata asked as both men persisted to observe him. It was uncharacteristic of Hinata to ask such a request as Shouyou did not like whenever Yaku treated his wounds. 

Both Suga and Daichi shook their heads. Then what was going on? 

“I’m guessing you already know it’s linked to your power?” Daichi asked rhetorically. “Yaku isn’t trained in that area. No semifer is. The only time we’ve seen these ‘lines,’ I guess we could call it that, it when you’ve flipped out. Eight of them on your body, and your tattoo lights up as well, though red.”

“So what is it?” Hinata demanded and sat up straighter in his chair. He had never heard about the lines before. Why didn’t anyone tell him?!

“Like Daichi said, we don’t know,” Suga said and tried to calm Shouyou down. “I wasn’t conscious to witness them last time, but ten years ago I was. They never returned after you’ve lost control though.”

“Maybe the tiger saw something during the fight that we didn’t?” Daichi pondered. 

Hinata whipped his head at the mention of Kageyama. “I could ask him!” 

“Woah there, what’s gotten into you?” Daichi chuckled and sat down next to him. The wooden chair creaked as he settled his weight onto it. 

Shouyou knew that Daichi was still wary about Kageyama and didn’t know what to do with him. The whole pack was. They knew about what happened but not the details and why the tiger was still here. Yaku had told Daichi that Kageyama would need more medical treatment that he could not supply if his burns didn’t heal. So Hinata took the moment to share what he thought about Kageyama. 

“Kageyama is not a threat anymore. Physically he cannot fight, and I can say that even if he could, he would not hurt any of us. He never wanted to hurt us. He was being manipulated by Oikawa. We need to include him in the meetings. He is not with Aoba Johsai. I trust him,” Hinata said with confidence. 

“Did you ask him the questions I told you to ask?” Daichi queried. 

“I- uh,” Hinata closed his mouth and gave an awkward smile to Sawamura. 

How could he forget?! Daichi had reminded him almost everyday to ask Kageyama certain questions. He always seemed to forget them when he went to visit Kageyama, they would end up talking about random topics anyway and messing around.

“So that’s a no,” Daichi sighed and Sugawara chuckled from the ground. 

“Oh Daichi, c’mon. If Shouyou trusts him, then so do I. He could provide help on how Blue Castle fights, then we would be prepared if they try to attack again. Maybe he could learn magick as well-”

“No!” Hinata yelled and the lines on his body lit up and scared him. He didn’t know why he was so opposed to Kageyama learning magick. “I don’t want anyone to learn magick. Not you, not Kenma, not Bokuto, not Kageyama, not anyone! I think… I think I should leave,” Hinata said and looked down. 

“What?!” The other two in the room yelled at the same time. 

Suga tried his best to crawl over to where Shouyou was sitting and looked up at his face. Pale hands reached up and cradled his face but he pushed them away. 

“Why would you say something like that, Shou?” Suga asked and tried to touch him again. 

Hinata leaned out of his reach and furrowed his eyebrows. His lip was trembling but he knew he had to voice his thoughts. “I should leave. For everyone’s safety. You can’t keep pretending that this isn’t my fault. I never wanted any of this to happen! Ever!” he sniffed his nose and held back his tears. “Magick is too dangerous. Hell, I’m too dangerous! We don’t even know what I’m capable of. If I leave, no one will have to sacrifice their life energy for me.”

Suga grabbed onto his arms desperately and shook his head. “Shouyou, please don’t do this. You can’t leave. Not when I just got you back,” he cried. 

Daichi nodded at his side and stared at Hinata with an anxious face. 

“I’m sorry, but I’ve made up my mind. It’s that or turning myself in to Sei Joh-”

“Don’t even joke about that!” Daichi bawled. 

“I’m not. I need to do what’s best for everyone. I can’t stay here and imperil everyone,” Hinata then thought of an idea. It was wild and crazy, but it felt right. “And I want Kageyama to come with me.” 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ty for reading! 
> 
> Once again I'd like to thank you all for giving this fanfiction a chance and continuing to comment and kudos it! I'm going to try to update earlier but college is starting soon so I️ don't really know. 
> 
> See you next chapter!


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hinata and Kageyama say goodbye as they head off to the human village.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOLY SHIT IT HAS BEEN FOREVER! 
> 
> I️ haven't been off the grid for no reason though, I️ started college three? (maybe four) weeks ago and have been swarmed with class and homework assignments. For some reason I️ thought it would be a good idea to take 18 credit hours, *face palms* I️'m a freshman so I'm still getting used to how college works as well as figuring out online school because of COVID. Life has been pretty busy and I've found myself overwhelmed a lot. I️ needed to take a break to sort my life out and make a schedule so I️ have time for what makes me happy. Not only that, I️ had terrible writers block even though I️ had an idea of how I️ wanted this chapter to go. My chapters are straying farther and farther away from the original plans I've had but honestly I️ like where this is heading. I️'m not sure if I've told you guys but I️ am thinking about a sequel to this story and have started brainstorming the idea of it. I'm super excited to see where this story heads and thank you all again for keeping faith in me and continuing to read. It is currently just past midnight as I'm writing this so please excuse any grammatical errors. I️ really wish I️ could edit this chapter more but I️ couldn't let myself go another day without updating. 
> 
> Anyways, without further ado, here is chapter 11.

Chapter Eleven 

Wails from the wolves clattered against the small house’s walls and whizzed in Shouyou’s ear like bullets. Each sentence Daichi and Suga spoke made him feel even more cramped. He tried to close in on himself, to avoid getting shot. He sprang up from the ground and ran outside, the heat warming his body that was rigid with panic. 

The plan was to walk off his anxious thoughts, but Shouyou found himself in front of Kageyama’s hut. His feet must have brought him there somehow, but he couldn’t recall ever deciding to visit him. His hand reached out and made contact with the doorknob. It was scalding against his skin, being right under the noon sun would probably do that. Surely it wouldn’t be unlocked? But then again, Hinata was half asleep when he was kicked out of Kageyama’s space… did he ever remember to lock the door? 

There was no time for thoughts. He sucked in a breath and turned the knob. The door opened with a creak and the dust from inside caused his nose to tickle. He hadn’t noticed it before but the room was getting pretty dirty from not being washed the past week. That  _ definitely _ was helping Kageyama get better. He stopped in his tracks. Kageyama. Shouyou scanned the room and saw Kageyama against the same wall he always was leaning on. 

He was already looking at Shouyou when Hinata met his eyes. For the first time, Hinata was awestruck by the tiger's appearance. He never realized how striking he was. But in the afternoon light, Shouyou felt like he was looking at him for the first time. The sun beamed into the bleak room and beamed on top of Kageyama’s features. Hinata blocked part of the sun from crawling over all of Kageyama’s body. It made Kageyama stand out that much more. 

Hinata hadn’t ever thought to admire Kageyama’s eyes. But they were staring at him with such intent that he couldn’t help but notice them. He knew they were blue, but his mind couldn’t comprehend how blue they actually were. They were polished lazurite. They seemed to catch every bit of light they could. Hinata would have fully believed they were pure gemstones if they weren’t full of such distress. Was that directed towards him?

He rubbed at his eyes to see if his vision was the matter however his hand came back wet. He was crying… that’s why Kageyama looked at him like that. 

“W-what’s wrong-” Kageyama asked but was muffled as Hinata launched himself into the tiger’s arms. Tobio grunted out in pain and confusion and was about to ask a question again until he heard the sobs escaping the tiny body clutching onto him. 

Hinata hadn’t noticed how upset he was until he saw that his body was trying to release his tension through the tears. Not only at himself, but the situation everyone was in. The tears started flowing more rapidly before he could even answer his friends question. 

“H-hey, lets just calm down alright,” Kageyama stuttered and looked down at the teen in his arms. Never once had someone hugged him so tightly and cried against him. His clothes started to dampen from Hinata’s sopping wet outfit and his tears. Tobio didn’t know what to do. He settled on patting Hinata’s back awkwardly to try to help him through his breakdown. 

They sat there for who knows how long. The door of the hut swayed in the hot breeze but Kageyama didn’t even think about escaping. Hell, he didn’t have anywhere to go even if he did. All he was thinking about was why his only friend was crying in his lap, and what he could do to help him. 

The light got itself tangled in Hinata’s hair and the ends of it seemed to be pure flames. Cries broke the silence and all one could hear was Hinata. Kageyama could smell the sweat on him, like he hadn’t bathed in a few days. Or maybe his emotions had just caused a physical reaction. 

Finally, after Hinata had run out of tears, he lifted his head up from Kageyama’s chest only to gasp at what he saw. “Shit! Your burns!” He cried and ripped Kageyama’s soaking shirt off, causing the teen to sputter about how  _ ‘You can’t just start stripping people!’  _ But Kageyama quieted down once he saw what Hinata was yelling about. 

The burns across his chest were bleeding from the edges, and the blisters that were littered across the area had popped and oozed down his body. Kageyama had thought that the wetness he felt was just from Hinata’s tears and clothes, but he was wrong. Hinata must have agitated the wounds when he jumped on top of him. He didn’t register the pain before, but now that his attention wasn’t all on Hinata, he could feel the full force of his injuries. 

“Fuck! I always hurt people!” Hinata cried and kneeled down so that he wasn’t on top of Kageyama anymore. Kageyama then noticed the glowing coming from his body. What in the world was going on? 

Before Tobio could ask any questions, Hinata had removed his own shirt and tried to tear it with his teeth. Seeing his difficulty, Kageyama snatched the garment away and used his fangs to cut the t-shirt apart. Once it was torn, Hinata took the shirt back and attempted to wrap Kageyama’s upper body to stop the bleeding. Kageyama would have yelled at him to be more gentle, but he couldn’t stop staring at Hinata’s shirtless body. The lines glowed on his body; around both his arms, his neck, right under his pecks, and just barely above his hips. The last one was harder to see since the shorts covered part of it, but Kageyama was still amazed. His eyes travelled to Hinata’s wrist to see his tattoo glowing as well, only it was in a crimson color instead of white. 

Slowly, he reached out a hand and ran his fingers across the line under Hinata’s pecks. He hadn’t noticed how much he over stepped until he felt Hinata tense underneath him. An apology sat at the tip of his tongue but what cut off prematurely from Hinata. 

“It’s okay, I don’t know what they are either,” he sighed and examined his work. Kageyama’s chest was wrapped up and the bleeding was under control. “Besides the burns, are your other injuries okay?”

Kageyama nodded. Semifers healed quicker than humans, so almost all of his wounds were healed except for the burns. 

“Okay good, there's a reason I came here though. I don’t know what you’ll say-”

“Just spit it out.”

Hinata glared and propped himself against the wall next to Kageyama. “I want you to come to the human village with me.”

“You’re joking.”

Hinata shook his head and proceeded to reveal his thoughts on the situation. About how he still felt responsible for getting everyone into this mess. About how he was scared that the pack would have to sacrifice some of their life energy to learn magic to protect  _ him.  _ It shouldn’t have to be done. No one should take responsibility but him. He mentioned briefly about how he thought about turning himself in which caused Kageyama to yell at him for thinking something so idiotic. So Hinata concluded leaving was the best option to keep everyone safe. 

Kageyama stayed quiet for a while, his hand rubbing his chin and chewing on his lip in thought. “And you want me to go with you?”

“I know it’s sudden, but I just can’t imagine myself leaving without you,” Hinata admitted. 

He was met with a smack to the side of his head. 

“Hey! What was that for?!” He yelled and turned to see Kageyama covering his red face with his hand. 

“You can’t just say things like that, dumbass,” he mumbled and looked away. 

“We’re friends now, Kageyama, I can share stuff like that without it being embarrassing,” Hinata pouted and crossed his arms. 

Right. Friends. That’s all Hinata and him were, there was no need for him to feel hot all over. Kageyama didn’t even know why he felt so flustered right now. He concluded that it was because this was a serious conversation. Anyone would feel excited and nervous about running away with their best friend so they wouldn’t be murdered by their old clan.

“What about this?” Kageyama questioned and motioned to his ears and tail. 

“Wait, so you’ll come with?” Hinata smiled and looked at Kageyama with a new shine in his eyes. 

He received a hesitant nod. Kageyama had no idea what he was getting himself into. But he knew he wanted to stay with Hinata for as long as he could. Not that he would tell him that, it was just too embarrassing. He wasn’t sure he could handle anymore intimate conversations without short-circuiting

“I haven’t thought that far ahead,” Hinata said and scooted closer to Kageyama. “You look more human than the wolves though,” he said and looked at Kageyama’s body more closely. He grabbed Kageyama’s hand and looked at his nails. “See! No claws!”

Kageyama pushed his nails out and Hinata’s eyes widened. He had never seen a cat semifers claws up close before. It was mesmerizing. He clutched Kageyama’s hands tighter and started pressing on the tips of his fingers to see his claws push out and retract. 

“Okay stop that,” Kageyama growled and yanked his hand back. Even though Hinata didn’t have retractable nails, it didn’t mean he could fawn over them and play with them like they were a toy. “Besides, there's still the fur on my back and my ears. I could tuck my tail into a pair of pants, but I’d rather not. It’s quite uncomfortable.”

“Let's just cross that path when we get there. I still have to pack for us and Yaku needs to look over you before we go,” Hinata informed and pushed himself off the dust-covered floor. He started walking off to get started but was stopped when a hand caught his forearm. Turning around, there was Kageyama, half off the ground trying to stop him. He raised his eyebrows at him in question. 

“Just,” he paused, not sure if he should ask about Hinata’s mental state and instead settled for, “thanks, for giving me a second chance.”

Hinata flashed a smile and closed the door behind him. 

  
  


***

  
  


“You’re really doing this?” Kenma asked as he slithered around Hinata who was packing a sack full of clothes. News had gotten out that Hinata was leaving with Kageyama and spread like a disease throughout the whole pack. 

“I have to, and don’t you start up about magick again. That cosmic serpent crap scared the hell out of me. I’m not even going to delve into the valravn stuff either. It’s too risky,” Hinata declared. 

“Don’t you think going to the human village with that tiger is more dangerous?” Kenma asked and sat on a wooden chair. 

Hinata sighed and set the bag down on the table with a  _ thump _ . “It’s not just about leaving with Kageyama. I need to do this. I don’t know if I’d ever forgive myself if I stayed here and allowed everyone to learn magick. Not only that, I need to learn more about whatever my power is. The humans might be able to give me some insight on what’s happening to me.”

Kenma smiled sadly and nodded in understanding. 

“You’ll always be one of my best friends, Kenma, me leaving isn’t going to end our friendship,” Hinata dropped down to look at Kenma’s face. 

Kenma was looking better than he did a week or two ago. His scales blended flawlessly into his skin and weren’t peeling anymore. They shined a multitude of colors in the light, like oil slick dancing on top of a puddle of water. His black hair was brushed and looked recently washed. Nothing like the matted nest from before. One thing was certain, Hinata didn’t want the progress Kenma made to go to waste. Learning magick would take a toll on his body, he would turn into something horrendous if he picked up the dangerous art. The regenerative part of him wouldn’t be able to keep up. 

“Just, be careful out there. Don’t trust the humans too easily. They're not like you,” Kenma warned and got up from the chair. 

Hinata knew the conversation was over and started packing again, this time with Kenma’s help. They managed to pack everything that Hinata and Kageyama would need during their travel, as well as a few more days worth of food. Food wasn’t something they could guarantee they would receive, along with medicine for Kageyama. 

As they were packing, Yaku was looking over Kageyama’s burns after being asked by Hinata. Shouyou also convinced Daichi to let Kageyama out of the room to get some fresh air. It wasn’t the most pleasant conversation, but they managed to get through it without getting upset with each other. Daichi and Sugawara were having the hardest time accepting what Hinata had told them earlier in the day about leaving, but they understood Shouyou’s feelings and knew they wouldn’t be able to change his mind. 

They proceeded to tell the rest of the pack about it after everyone returned from the semifer market, leaving out the details about Hinata’s new appearance to not cause alarm to the pack. Despite the fact that Daichi didn’t mention Shouyou’s powers, the boys who were washing the blankets in the creek knew that it had a big part in Hinata’s decision. They couldn’t help but make eye contact with each other when Sawamura had shared the news, all of them thinking the same thing. 

No one had purposely treated Hinata differently because he was a human, but it was becoming harder to do so with the growing list of what set him apart from everyone else. It wasn’t spoken aloud but everyone was a little scared. Hinata’s powers had never been so eruptive and unpredictable. They had never been present and so consequential in everyday life. It was difficult to not feel threatened by them when no one had any answers to their questions. 

No one was happy that Hinata was leaving until further notice, but it brought some relief. Like when a sick family member finally passes away. It’s not happy, but it provides solace to know that they’re in a better place and that you can start the healing process and continue on with living. It feels shameful to feel that way, but there needed to be change so that the pack could survive. 

Sugawara planned a dinner to see the two off that night. Everyone would be feasting on a variety of meats and vegetables that they cooked over a large fire, it was almost like a barbeque. Ennoshita had brought back some vegetables from the market since their garden had been burnt to a crisp, as well as a few bottles of sake. 

That night, everyone gathered around the fire and celebrated being together for the last time. Kageyama was next to Hinata at the moment, afraid of the rest of the pack and in particular, the spider monkey who he found out was named Kuroo. He wasn’t scared of him, but he was the one who saved him that night and heard him reveal one of his darkest secrets. Tobio wasn’t sure he could face the man without stumbling over his words. 

“They’re not going to hurt you, Kageyama,” Hinata whispered into the tiger's ear while roasting a kabob over the fire. 

Tobio thought he was concealing his anxiety pretty well but apparently not. He was just overwhelmed. The last time he was with a group this large was with Aoba Johsai, and they didn’t treat him the nicest. Granted, he didn’t treat them with respect either. He didn’t want to make the same mistake with Hinata’s family. 

The next half of dinner, Hinata had tried to introduce Kageyama to the pack but struggled to do so. The only thing he learned was that him and Tsukishima didn’t get along too well, but to be honest, who did get along with Tsukishima besides Tadashi? Noya and Tanaka scared Kageyama half to death with personal questions, and Azumane was too anxious to even introduce himself. 

“That went well,” Hinata groaned and plopped himself back on the log him and Kageyama were sharing. Everyone else was still socializing with each other so at least their conversation wasn’t being listened in on. 

“I’m sorry, I just don’t know how to talk to people,” Kageyama apologized and looked into the fire. It crackled and sparked, making the smell of food drift up into the air surrounding them. 

“It’s not your fault. Everyone is just antsy and nervous about us going to the village.”

“Yeah, about that…” Kageyama started. 

“Wait, are you not coming anymore?” Hinata asked and turned to look at the tiger. 

“No! I’m still coming but we have to hurry and find a medical professional right when we get there,” Kageyama informed. 

“What, why?” questioned Hinata but then looked at Kageyama’s chest. 

Yaku had rewrapped it a few hours earlier and scanned his body to make sure it was healing correctly. Before, he had let Kageyama’s burns air out so they could heal faster by being exposed to oxygen but the rough treatment had caused them to become agitated. Kageyama explained how Yaku was never certain that his burns would heal correctly, and was thinking he in fact did need a skin graft. Unfortunately, the spider monkey wasn’t trained for something that advanced and told Kageyama his only hope would be to receive treatment by a human doctor. 

“Will you be okay travelling?” Hinata squeaked after staying quiet to think. 

“I’ll be fine-”

“But what about your other injuries? I know they’re mostly healed but you were hurt pretty bad by Oikawa as well. Not to mention your bad leg. What are we going to do?” Hinata frantically yelled and his breathing picked up.

“Stop,” Kageyama said and placed both of his hands on Hinata’s shoulders. The older teens body was glowing again in the dark and Kageyama knew he had to do something before Hinata by accidentally activated his powers. 

Hinata’s amber eyes met Kageyama’s with a panic-stricken look in them. The glowed in the fire light but also kept switching from normal to white, his body trying to send him into his ‘auto-pilot’ mode. 

“I’ll be fine, I just wanted to let you know before we leave,” Kageyama rushed and tried to calm his friend down. His tail flicked by his side due to his nerves and he saw Hinata’s hand reach out and grab it. Again, Kageyama felt his body heat up and he turned his head away. 

“I’m sorry, it’s just that,” Hinata glanced around trying to find the right words. “Suga always let me hold his tail when I got upset. It’s childish and stupid but it’s something that I’ve carried with me from my childhood. I’m sorry, I should have asked,” he frowned and dropped the limb from his fingers. 

“Wait, if it helps ground you, then it’s okay. I know it’s harder for you to stay in control of your flames now, so it’s the least I can do,” Kageyama choked out despite how sheepish he felt. And then he did something that surprised himself: he grabbed his tail and placed it gently in Shouyou’s palm. 

“Thanks,” Hinata mumbled and gave his tail a small squeeze. 

They stayed like that the rest of dinner, Shouyou feeling the smooth fur of Kageyama’s tail while they ate meat and vegetables, and drank sake that warmed them from the inside out. The alcohol loosened Kageyama a little, and he conversed lightly with the semifers that sat around the fire. It wasn’t enough to make him drunk, but enough to make him feel the pleasant therapeutic buzz hum through his body. He smiled at Hinata, happy that his friend’s mood improved from earlier. 

Everyone was a lot calmer after dinner, and the fire died down slowly as they finished their meal. As the sun set, it became aware to all that their time together was coming to an end. Not only were Kageyama and Hinata leaving, but those from Nekoma, as well as Bokuto and Akaashi were departing as well. Without the pungent smell of Hinata at Karasuno, Aoba Johsai wasn’t likely to attack again until the end of the drought. Those who had come to protect the pack were not needed at the time present. Of course they would continue to communicate and check in on one another, but they didn’t need to stay at Karasuno. 

Yaku was returning to the ruins to check in on Nekoma and also help run the troop since Kuroo and Kozume would not be returning for a couple weeks. It was an impulsive decision that they both made, but they decided to travel alone together for a while to strengthen their relationship after everything that happened. Though Kuroo understood Kenma’s violent behavior towards him a couple weeks ago, they needed to repair the bond they shared through interactions and personal conversations. Yaku would help Nobuyaki, the second in command, with the task of keeping Nekoma in check while their leader and The Brain were gone. Since Kenma’s identity had been revealed, it would cause a lot of change for Nekoma and how things ran. It would take a lot of easing into and getting used to. 

Bokuto would be staying at Karasuno for a little while longer; his past life of wandering around the jungle wasn’t something he wanted to return to. Helping Karasuno get back on its feet felt right for him, but mending his relationship with Akaashi was also one of his goals. It was still a touchy subject for them both, but travelling with Hinata and sleeping in the same cabin for the past week had made them both aware of the feelings they still had for one another. Akaashi was reluctant to rekindle their flame and was leaning towards staying. However, he knew that if he and Bokuto wanted to make things right between them they couldn’t do it overnight. He would slowly start talking with Bokuto again, staying close to Sugawara most of the time and helping him make a full recovery since Yaku was leaving. Someone needed to aid the wolf while the rest of the pack restored their home and Sugwara’s motherly nature would benefit him as well. Then and only then, would he give their relationship a second chance, though he withheld that information from the bear out of consternation. 

Regardless of what each semifer was doing, the threat of an attack from Bluecastle was still a real threat. They would focus on strengthening each group without the use of magick incase Oikawa decided to attack for some reason. Hinata made Daichi promise not to resort to learning magick for safety, which he reluctantly agreed to. 

Daichi still wanted to find the connection Karasuno had to crows, which would include him getting in contact with the past leaders, Ukai and Takeda. He had no idea where they were or if they were still alive, but he had to give it a shot. He would have to try to find them by travelling and talking to other semifers until he found a lead. 

Hinata assured him that if he found a way to manipulate magick in a safe way he would tell him, and also if he found any leads on the whereabouts of Ukai and Takeda. He didn’t know how he would stay in touch with Karasuno, but maybe he could write letters and Kenma could bring them back. He knew the humans had postal service, but didn’t know if he could use it to contact his friends and family. It was so hard not having any technology that he had heard rumors about, maybe he would search for it when he knew everyone was safe. 

But for now, Hinata was only focused on saying goodbye to everyone. The sun continued to set; a signal to him and Kageyama that they needed to leave soon. The figured travelling at night for a few hours would be best so that Kageyama could retrieve treatment quicker. It wasn’t a foolproof plan, but Hinata knew he had to leave as soon as possible otherwise he wouldn’t be able to go through with it. 

He had just finished hugging Yamaguchi when he felt a tap on his shoulder. It was Koushi and Daichi. He glanced over at Kageyama and nodded, letting him know that he needed to talk to them alone. 

“I thought you would need this,” Sugawara smiled and brought out an oil lantern. 

Hinata took it graciously and held back his tears. He took a step forward and hugged Koushi as tight as he could but became a little more gentle when he heard the man grunt in pain. A quick apology fell from his lips and then he turned to hug Sawamura. The comforting scent of what he could only describe as similar to peru balsam filled his nose as the taller man enveloped him in a hug. A fruity but ambery smell with soft undertones of cinnamon and wood… he breathed in deeper to remember it. He would miss this. 

“Don’t be a stranger, now,” Daichi muttered and sniffed his nose when he let go of Shouyou. The fire hissed in the background as Tanaka stomped on it with the help of Nishinoya. 

“I’ll try not to. Thank you for supporting me in this decision. I know it's sudden but-”

“We understand,” Koushi interrupted. “You need to leave the nest and find your own path. Get answers for your questions that we can’t give you. I’m proud to have raised you, it's just hard to see you all grown up.”

_ But I’m not grown up!  _ Shouyou wanted to scream. He swallowed down his urge to ask Koushi to beg him to stay. He settled with a nod and an ambivalent smile. 

Koushi leaned in and lifted Hinata’s face up to make eye contact. “I’m happy you have Kageyama to stay by your side, you both need to do this to work through your inner turmoil. Don’t try to rush things with him, he’ll open up when he’s ready.”

Shouyou thanked Suga and was about to turn away when Suga cleared his throat and said in a whisper, “and be careful not to rush things in the physical department either. That tiger is still beat up pretty bad, as well as you.”

Hinata’s face grew warm and his eyes widened as he grasped what Sugawara was assuming about their relationship. “I-it’s not like that. Kageyama’s just a friend,” he choked out. 

Daichi and Suga went into a fit of laughter and Hinata picked out Sawamura telling Koushi not to tease him too much. Hinata felt his body burn with mortification and huffed out a sigh and crossed his arms. 

Thankfully he was saved as Kenma walked up to him and handed him his bag that they packed a few hours prior. He gave him a quick hug that the snake awkwardly returned and thanked him for being his friend. That shut the two up as they watched the exchange play out. 

Shouyou caught sight of Kageyama and waved him over. The tiger limped his way over and gave everyone a closed mouth smile. The rest of the group soon walked over as they came aware of the fact that the send off was happening. 

Hinata hugged everyone one last time, an attempt to staple their appearance and smell and heartbeat in his mind in case he never saw them again. Kageyama had to draw him away and together they started walking off. Hinata was walking backwards, one hand clutching the lantern his family gave him, the other waving goodbye high over his head. 

As the view of his friends became tinier and tinier, Bokuto’s voice rang out: “I’ll always be here to teach you, my number one student!” 

Hinata couldn’t stop the waterworks after hearing that and yelled out goodbye, his voice cracking in the process. Not just any goodbye, a final goodbye.  _ Sayonara _ , the farewell only used when one wouldn’t see someone for a long time. 

He turned around and wiped his nose on the body of his shirt. Kageyama offered him his tail again and Hinata thanked him as they walked into the dark jungle on the same path that Hinata had taken a couple weeks ago. 

***

A couple hours later, the night had overtaken the last of the light and they had to slow down and find a place to rest for the night. Hinata’s lantern could only provide so much light and they didn’t want to risk injuring themselves further. It was good they decided to stop, although they were friends, it was still a tad tricky to hold a conversation for that long. Their minds were filled with other topics that they’d rather not share. They both needed to process the goodbye in addition to the new chapter of their lives they were starting. 

The next day they walked the entire time, which caused a lot of complaining and so to pass the time they decided to play ‘I Spy.’ It didn’t end up well because everything looked the same and both the teens got frustrated within an hour. Without the obstacles from the last time, they were making pretty good time, only to stop to drink some water out of their canteen and to munch on the food Hinata had packed. The only other time they stopped was to change Kageyama’s bandages and clean the wound of crusted blood, dead skin, and the sweat he produced from walking under the blazing sun. 

About seven hours into the day Hinata asked Kageyama if he wanted to play ‘I Spy’ again which got him a smack over the head and a growl from the latter. They spent the time making up random stories about far away places and bantered with each other every once and a while. Every once and a while became every ten minutes or so as they came closer to approaching the village. Their bodies ached for them to stop and rest but Hinata could see the silhouette of houses in the distance and grabbed Kageyama’s hand and dragged him forward. 

After a long and tiring day, they made it to the edge of the village and they both sighed out in relief. Hinata had never thought they would make that journey in just over a day. He wiped the sweat off his forehead and laughed up at the sky. 

“We made it,” heaved Kageyama as he caught up to the energetic boy. 

“Tuck in your tail and put this cap on to hide your ears,” Hinata ordered and rummaged through his bag to find the hat. He also threw a baggy shirt at the tiger so the trail of fur on his back wouldn’t be visible to the villagers. 

Kageyama grumbled about how the cap hurt his ears but did as he was told. 

The village streets were paths of dirt, sometimes brick, but usually not since the ones that were brick were cracking apart. The houses were small, ranging from classic cottages to textured stucco one stories. There was a fountain in the middle of town that they could see even from the edge of the village. It was either ceramic or stone, but its intricate design was covered in a thin layer of green deposit. 

Every building was different but held years of wear and tear that showed just how old the village was. All types of flora grew through the town, but seemed to stay closest to the structures, leaving the paths free and under the full wrath of the sun's heat. It was more beautiful than Hinata could describe, he didn’t know where to look. 

They wandered the streets, Hinata’s face lighting up as they passed by stands with an assortment of goods. He looked everywhere he could, trying to soak in everything and everyone that he saw. 

“Remember, we’re here to not only find a place to stay but a doctor for me,” Kageyama mumbled as they walked under the late afternoon sun. 

“I know I know, stop whining and look at this!” Hinata cheered and held up a melon as big as his head. 

“I’m not whining, it just smells here. It’s making me antsy,” Kageyama crinkled his nose and glared at Hinata from under the hat. He was not enjoying having his animalistic features concealed by uncomfortable clothing items. 

He pulled Hinata away from the fruit stand and they continued to search for something that would help them. After walking down the rows of food and soaps and random trinkets, one stand stood out to them. 

Medicines, oils, herbs, and bottles full of who knows what cluttered the surface. The person behind the stand occasionally knocked one over and cried out in shame at her mess up. There was a sign that hung from the top of the stand that read ‘healing and restoration,’ but it was hard to read with the moss and vines that grew over everything. 

The petite girl behind the counter looked scared out of her mind but smiled nonetheless as Kageyama and Hinata approached. 

“You specialize in healing?” Kageyama asked and leaned over the counter. 

The girl widened her eyes in trepidation and Hinata pushed Kageyama out of the way. “You’re scaring her, stop being so intimidating with that creepy face of yours!” he yelled. 

“A-ah it’s okay, I’m just not used to getting many customers. They usually trust other stands more than mine, I don’t know why I’m telling you this, you’ll probably just leave-”

“Don’t be so uptight!” Hinata smiled and stopped her chattering. “My friend here needs some medical treatment, think you can help?” 

The blonde nodded frantically and clasped her hands close to her chest. She wore a blouse that had patterns of flowers on it as well as a pair of jean shorts.

“Great! Before we get to that, let's start with an introduction. I’m Hinata Shouyou, and this is my grumpy friend, Kageyama Tobio,” greeted Hinata and held out a hand as Kageyama scowled behind him.

The nervous girl shook his hand with a delicate grip and managed a wobbly smile. “I’m Yachi Hitoka, nice to meet you.” 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I️ love everyones comments and interacting with all of you. It makes my day. I️ promise to not be gone for so long and update a tad sooner. Thank you for investing in this story, I️ love you all so much. Also now we get to see Hitoka and Kiyoko ahhh!!! I️'ve been waiting since the beginning to write their relationship so I'm very excited. If you have any suggestions for any part of the story feel free to tell me, I'd love to try to incorporate some of your idea's!
> 
> Till next time,   
> -Septemberbugs


	12. Chapter Twelve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The healing of Kageyama commences

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy hell it has been FOREVER 
> 
> Midterms, mental health, family life, college in general. I️ had a lot going on. 
> 
> I️ have been questioning my writing process recently and in general just my ability to write so it got to my head a little. I'm really doubting myself while writing and nitpicking everything. That's one of the reasons this has taken me so long to publish. Not only that, I'm getting farther into this fanfiction where I️ haven't planned it out in depth as the other chapters. The characters keep going places where I️ hadn't planned before but I'm trying to stay on track. I think I'm going to need a few more chapter in this fic, but I'm going to keep the total at 17 chapters until the time comes where I'm positive I need more. 
> 
> Honestly, I'm really disappointed in the end of this chapter but I️ knew I️ had to post something. Saying this now: I️ AM GOING TO EDIT THIS FANFICTION AFTER I️ COMPLETE IT! I️ needed to say that mainly for myself. This fanfiction is a reflection of my growth as a writer, it is allowed to be messy and shitty and grammatically incorrect. I️ want you guys to be aware of that because I️ would love if y'all gave me constructive criticism. Please excuse these mistakes as I️ am still learning and finding my writing style. 
> 
> My head is so crammed right now I️ can barely write. But overall, thank you for everyone who has read this story and I️ appreciate you more than I️ can say. A long overdue chapter awaits you, my friend. I️ hope you enjoy.

Chapter Twelve

“What can I help you with?” Yachi asked after they finished introductions. Hinata was grateful that she didn’t question the pale lines that encircled his body parts. 

Kageyama turned and looked at Hinata. They knew that he needed medical treatment, but hadn’t thought of how to explain the wounds or how to hide the fact that Kageyama was a semifer. This realization seemed to just hit Hinata too as he made eye contact with the tiger. 

“Well, we have a medical report from the last doctor we went to, I’ll just pull the page out of my bag…” Hinata fibbed. It wasn’t entirely incorrect. Yaku did write down what needed to be treated and gave him a copy of it, but Shouyou didn’t know if the spider monkey could be classified as a professional doctor. He had training sure, but Hinata didn’t know where and this paper was more of a cluster of notes than an actual report. He pulled it out anyway and handed it to Yachi. 

She scanned it over with her thumbnail in her mouth, chewing on it lightly as if it provided her more concentration. “A skin graft?” she asked, now chewing on her bottom lip. 

Kageyama grunted in response.

“Okay, I’m going to have to take you guys back to my place if that is alright. Bigger injuries like this require privacy for me to heal. What I sell here isn’t enough to heal you, I’ll have to do a procedure,” she explained.

Hinata nodded and smiled while he pushed down the anxiety that was growing in his stomach. If Yachi was going to do a procedure, how were they supposed to conceal Kageyama’s identity? Not only that, how could Hinata forget that this would cost money? He glanced down at his bag and winced at the few coins that jingled at the bottom. 

Yachi asked them a few more questions and Hinata usually answered since Kageyama wasn’t much of a talker. She informed them that she was free now to do the healing and would lead them back to her house. She needed to heal Kageyama as soon as possible, that was what Yachi had told them. Even prior to seeing the injury, the report was enough to tell her that it needed to be treated immediately. Hinata could tell that she was nervous, even more than when they met her. Maybe it was nervousness, or maybe excitement? Maybe a mix of both. One thing was sure, Yachi wanted to do the procedure now, which wouldn’t give Hinata and Kageyama a lot of time to figure their way out of their predicament. 

Yachi got up from her stand and pulled a blue tarp over it with a loud crinkle. The word ‘Closed’ was painted on it in neat calligraphy. She looked back at the boys and motioned for them to follow as she walked away. 

As they started their stroll to Yachi’s place, Kageyama pulled Hinata a safe distance away from the girl and asked, “so how are we going to hide… you know?”

“I’m still trying to figure that out,” whispered Hinata and walked forward, avoiding any more questions Kageyama would ask. Whatever would happen would happen, they just had to hope the universe was in their favor. 

As he walked closer to Yachi, he noticed a sparkle in the afternoon light. After searching for a minute, he found the culprit. It was Yachi’s tattoo. The tattoo was on her neck, a glimmering gold vintage medicine jar the size of a quarter. Hinata didn’t recognize the Kanji, so he asked the girl as they walked to the cottage. 

Yachi blushed and responded, “My power was gifted to me from the Buddha Yakushi Nyorai.” 

Hinata never knew that Buddha could bestow gifts, but the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. How could there be eight million Kami without including minor Kami as well as Buddha’s and other powerful beings. “What’s your gift?” He questioned and squinted to get a better look at her tattoo. 

“I- uh, you’re not from around here are you?” She asked, clearly uncomfortable. 

“Huh?! How could you tell?!” Hinata stopped walking but was pushed by Kageyama to continue. 

“Most people know it’s impolite to ask about someone else’s gift. I don’t know where you’re from but most villages or cities teach that societal norm from a young age,” She said quietly. “Oh but it’s okay! You didn’t know!” she added and covered her face in embarrassment. 

“No no you’re good, that’s my fault,” Hinata rushed and tried to calm her down. He sent a look to Kageyama asking for help but the tiger shrugged his shoulders and looked away. Hinata glared, he knew Kageyama wouldn’t be any help. 

Hinata assured her that she wasn’t being a nuisance by correcting him, and  _ really,  _ it was fine. After calming her down she told both of them that she would divulge her gift when they arrived at the cottage. 

It was a short walk, maybe five-ten minutes or so, but Hinata got to see the village during it. The farther they ventured into the village, the more it became condensed. The market that they once saw turned into small shops and people’s residences. The smell of fresh bread and coffee filled their noses as they passed by a bakery and a café. Hinata almost went off to explore but Kageyama caught his arm in time. Every couple minutes, a few cats passed by them, always puffing their tails up when they got the scent of Kageyama. A few of them even hissed which made Hinata giggle and Kageyama turn away with shame. 

Though he was intrigued by the village, Hinata made sure to keep a conversation with Yachi. Though she had a nervous nature, she seemed to come out of her shell when Hinata talked to her. He had learned to avoid asking anything about her gift and instead talked to her about how intriguing the village was. She lit up then, seeming to have lived in the village all her life. She would tell them random facts about buildings they passed, or the plants that grew around, never stuttering once. She even warned Hinata and Kageyama whenever there was an obstacle in the road. She didn’t even have to look down, just notified them casually as they talked. 

Eventually, they approached a small cottage made up of stone and covered in vines. It was almost impossible to see the house underneath all the plants, they flowered and crept up every side of the house. Also, the house was basically in the jungle, residing in a secluded part of town where the trees were dense. Half of the house's roof was made of thatching, the other half a mixture of tiles and wood, basically, any material that seemed to be found. There was a jut out on the right side of the house, with lower ceilings but brilliant regardless. It was the most magnificent thing Shouyou had ever seen. 

“Woah,” breathed Shouyou and stared at the place. 

“I know it’s not much-”

“Not much?! This is incredible!” Shouyou yelled with his arms spread wide and darted up to the powder blue front door. He ran his hands over the old wood with awe. He brought his face up to it and breathed in deeply, mmm warm cedar.

“Dumbass, don’t go up to someone’s house and caress it. That is so weird,” muttered Kageyama as he pulled his hat tighter on his head. 

“Ah no, it’s okay. Oh! I forgot to tell you both, my girlfr-”

But Yachi was interrupted as the front door opened and Hinata fell inside onto his knees. He cried out and was about to yell at whoever opened the door, but he found himself speechless as he looked up. 

The most beautiful woman he had ever seen stood above him. She had inky hair that fell just below her shoulder and the palest skin Hinata had ever seen. A small mole decorated her chin and behind her rectangle frames were stormy eyes that could rival Kageyama’s. Her appearance reminded him of Kageyama and a blush bloomed on his face with the realization that he found the tiger attractive. She glanced down at him with worry and her eyes widened slightly as she saw the pale lines but she put her facade back up in an instant. Then, she looked around outside and found Hitoka. 

“Oh, that’s Hinata. I’m going to treat his friend here,” Yachi rushed, her hands flailing around with panic. 

The elegant young woman chuckled softly then and bent down to offer Hinata a hand. Her hands were delicate and manicured, but Hinata noticed her palms were calloused all over. That didn’t distract him from her beauty though and Hinata couldn’t help his body temperature rising. He blurted out a thank you as she helped him up and turned to look at Kageyama to see if he was having the same mental panic he was because of the woman. 

But Kageyama wasn’t looking at him. He was staring at the ground, apparently very interested in a small rock which he kicked with his shoe. For some reason, Hinata felt shame knowing that Kageyama wasn’t looking at him. 

Yachi broke his thought stream and said, “I’m so sorry for not telling you guys on the walk! I forget to mention that I live with my girlfriend, Shimizu Kiyoko. I hope that isn’t a problem for you guys.”

“Not at all,” Kageyama said in a monotonous voice, sounding almost upset.

Hinata eyed him warily but let the girls continue. 

They showed them around the cottage, which wasn’t much but still captivating nonetheless. It turned out that not only was the outside covered in plants, so was the inside. Vines and other hanging plants were found draping down from the ceiling, leading the eye to various surfaces. Each surface had a plant on it, ranging from Japanese Painted Ferns, all the way to Lily of the Valley. 

It was very open spaced for such a little cottage. A small kitchen was behind an old breakfast table as they walked in, the cabinets filled with floral dishes and cups. The light from the fogged kitchen window shone in and reflected off of decorative glasses, producing hazy rainbows that sparkled on the walls. Hinata swore he could hear the rainbows twinkling but discovered that the soft noise he was hearing was reverberating from an indoor wind chime.

The wall next to the kitchen held a bookshelf, overflowing with books. Some were dusty, others tattered with their spines cracked, and some were stacked sideways on top of one another because there was no more space vertically. There were so many of them on the walnut shelf that Hinata could smell them from the entrance. The musty, fruity vanilla scent could only be described as biblichor. 

In front of the bookshelf was a worn couch and love seat which sat on top of a patterned rug with a wooden coffee table in between them. The ochre couch was pressed against the side of the house and along the same wall was an antique glass door that led to the jut out they had seen while passing outside. What was most intriguing, however, was the ladder on the left wall halfway through the cottage. The tall ceilings showed that it went to a miniature loft, the queen bed peeking over the side of the loft. Yachi told them the bathroom was to the left as they walked in, but most of the work she would be doing would take place in the apothecary. 

Hinata’s awe was suspended when he felt Kageyama tap his arm discreetly. Turning around, he saw the anxious look on Kageyama’s face and was about to speak when he saw the girls enter the house behind him. Yachi was talking to Shimizu in a hushed voice, seeming to try to explain something. When Yachi noticed the boys looking at them, she put on a smile and said, “Please see yourself to the apothecary, we’ll meet you there soon. ”

Hinata nodded and grabbed Kageyama’s wrist, pulling him towards the old door and into the jut out. He shut the door gently and took a deep breath. The room didn’t have many windows, which made it dark and intimidating. The surrounding walls were filled with medicinal supplies of all sorts with the addition of oil lamps, giving it a medieval feel. “What’s wrong?” Hinata asked after observing the room briefly. 

Kageyama shuffled over to the exam table in the middle of the room and sat down with a creak. “I don’t think I should do this…”

Hinata’s eyebrows furrowed, and he felt anger start to rise in his throat. “Why not?! We came here so you could be healed. I don’t know if you’re aware but you’re severely burned and need surgery. Yachi seems nice and is offering to help us, what other choice do we have?” Why couldn’t Kageyama see that this was their best option?

“Why do you keep saying ‘we’?  _ I’m  _ the one getting this procedure done.  _ I’m  _ the one with the burns.  _ You’re  _ not a part of this, why do you keep acting like we’re in this together?!” Kageyama yelled.

Hinata stared at him in the dim light. The walls filled with bottles of medicine, balms, and herbs disappeared. “I am a part of this,” he stated, though it sounded more like a question. Trying to figure out his thoughts, Shouyou paced the room. 

“Is this really about the procedure or are you just overwhelmed?” He asked quietly and stopped walking when he calmed down.

Kageyama’s eyes widened, and he turned his head to the side, trying to hide his humility. “Stop-”

“No! I decided to give you a chance because I believe you’re a good person deep down. Don’t run away with your tail between your legs when you get uncomfortable. Don’t push me away! It’s okay to be scared, I’m scared. I have no idea what’s in store for us but I want you to be with me, okay?” Hinata declared and walked up to Kageyama. 

Shouyou touched his face that was looking at the ground and brought it to look at him. Tobio’s hair was in his eyes, the ragged beanie skewed it in multiple directions. Kageyama wouldn’t meet his eyes. Shouyou’s eyes darted across the tiger’s face looking for something that would let him know what Kageyama was thinking. 

His hands found their way to Kageyama’s and he grabbed them softly, trying to let Kageyama know how he felt through his actions. He knew he wasn’t good with words, he knew Kageyama wasn’t good with words either, so he did what he could to try to make Kageyama understand. “Please,” Shouyou begged and tightened his grip on Tobio’s hands. 

He felt Kageyama reciprocate his touch and he breathed out in relief and closed his eyes. His head fell against Kageyama’s neck and he relaxed. He hadn’t noticed that he was just as overwhelmed as the tiger. 

“W-what are you doing,” Kageyama asked as he felt Hinata’s hair tickle his neck. 

“Do you want me to stop?” Hinata’s muffled voice rang out. 

Kageyama shook his head and readjusted his grip in Shouyou’s hands. Is this what friends did? Is this how friends showed each other they cared? Or was this something reserved for… other relationships? 

Kageyama leaned his head on top of Hinata’s and stared through the glass door. The girls were still talking in hushed voices, not even looking in the apothecary despite all the noise he and Hinata made. Didn’t Hinata think Shimizu was pretty? He was sure he saw the other boy blush when she helped him up. 

Was he feeling the same thing Hinata felt when Shimizu touched him? But Hinata was here in his arms now, not with Shimizu. He yearned to ask Shouyou whether he felt the same towards him as he felt towards Shimizu. Was it okay to feel like this? 

His thoughts we cut short when Hinata pulled away and dissolved all the tension between them. Was there even a feeling in the air before, or was Tobio imagining it? 

“Are you feeling better?” The redhead asked, his hands still connected to Kageyama’s. 

“A little,” he mumbled. The question from before sat on the tip of his tongue, but he swallowed it down as he saw Yachi and Shimizu walking towards them. He dropped Hinata’s hands and felt the warmth disappear. 

“I hope we didn’t keep you waiting long,” Yachi said as they entered the room. It was getting cramped with four people in it, but the girls didn’t seem to care. 

“Oh, no, not at all,” Hinata responded with a smile, his mood flipped like a switch when the two women entered. 

“Right well, I guess I should explain how this is going to work,” Yachi brought up. 

She explained how her gift worked; she was able to heal people by viewing their aura’s and pinpointing what was ‘wrong’ with them. Her power allowed her to fix one specific area and quicken the healing process. It was given to her by Yakushi Nyorai, the Buddha who was a master of medicine. 

She was vague about how it worked but Hinata knew it was probably because she didn’t discuss her gift with many people. Hinata wondered if she and Shimizu were arguing about that when he and Kageyama were talking. Although Shimizu seemed friendly, Hinata could feel her caution radiating from her body. He reminded himself that she was just looking out for her girlfriend and having two strange men in her house would provoke this type of reaction. 

“Right well it seems you are already on the table so if you would just undress the part of your body where the burn is and we can get started,” She finished. 

Both Kageyama and Hinata froze at that. His burn was on his chest, if they saw the fur on his back, it would be all over. “Could we get some privacy for that, he’s a little self-conscious,” Hinata said and felt Kageyama’s eyes glare at him from behind. 

Yachi and Shimizu agreed and left the room, letting the blinds on the door close for privacy. Hinata hadn’t realized they were there but came to the conclusion that whatever Yachi did in the apothecary should be confidential, even in her own house. He thanked the gods quickly for the convenience and turned to Kageyama who was already removing his tank top. 

Hinata swallowed hard and watched Kageyama. He helped unwrap the tiger’s chest and revealed the damage. His burn looked the same from before: blistered and cracked and charred at the edges and discolored and wet in some places. Hinata winced and wondered just how bad it was hurting Kageyama. He hadn’t complained during their walk, but he knew that it must be painful. He had to look away when part of the gauze ripped open a blister as he removed it and heard Kageyama gasp out in pain. Hinata muttered an apology and helped him lay down on the table, using the tank top as a pillow. 

He looked over Kageyama once more, making sure his ears were covered and his tail was unable to be spotted through his pants. He gave Kageyama a thumbs up and opened the door to call the girls back in. 

They walked back in and Yachi slid a stool out from under the examination table and sat down on it. Shimizu leaned against the walls covered in shelves and watched with heed. Hinata walked around the table and stood next to Kageyama, facing both of the girls.

“Okay, I’m going to meditate and prepare my body for the healing. The healing won’t take long but I need the energy in here to be as neutral as possible,” Yachi informed. She closed her eyes and repositioned herself on the stool she was sitting on. It was eerily still and quiet in the backroom, the only noise that could be heard was the soft breathing of everyone in the small room and the occasional shifting of Kageyama. 

Hinata knew he was on edge. He could tell by the way Kageyama licked his lips every few seconds and swallowed hard. Before Hinata, Kageyama had never met a human, and now he was surrounded by three. Shouyou couldn’t blame the tiger for being filled with nerves. He just wished that he could help ease his worry somehow. 

“I’m going to start the examination,” Yachi whispered after a few minutes passed with her meditating. She took one last deep breath and brought both her arms above Kageyama’s chest with her palms facing down. 

Shouyou watched with intrigue but a clammy hand brought his attention down. Kageyama had his left hand clenched around the back of Shouyou’s. Hinata looked down at their hands and then back up at Kageyama’s face. His eyes were squeezed shut and his brows furrowed. If it was a different circumstance, Hinata would have laughed at the constipated look, but he was well aware of the emotions Kageyama was feeling. He flipped his hand around and entwined their fingers together. It wasn’t like Kageyama to ask for support in such a direct way. So Hinata pushed his embarrassment down and rubbed his thumb reassuringly against the back of Kageyama’s sweaty hand. 

Hinata couldn’t tell if Yachi running her hands over Kageyama’s aura was doing anything until she suddenly stopped and whimpered. Kageyama flinched, not knowing why the small woman was making such a helpless noise but refused to open his eyes to find out. He tightened his grip around Hinata’s hands and hoped for the best. 

Hinata watched the scene in awe from then on. After the noise Yachi made, the air around Kageyama’s chest turned dark gray and thickened into a fog-like substance. Yachi continued moving her hands over the body below her but now with more vigor; swirling the fog around in circular motions. 

Her expression was weary but she continued with her work. All of a sudden her voice rang out into the room, “ May a radiant light blaze forth from my body after enlightenment, brightening countless realms, and may all beings have a perfect physical form, identical to my own.” 

Hinata had no idea what was happening, but the flames in the oil lamps flickered and a  _ whoosh  _ of wind rushed past his ears. The room went cold and Yachi repeated her vow over and over again, which turned the gray fog in front of her into a rich blue. 

Shouyou’s eyes darted across the room, he didn’t know what to focus on. Yachi’s face, her hands, Kageyama’s face, the fog… Everything was so alive. He caught a glimpse of Yachi’s medicine jar tattoo on her neck and noticed how it shimmered brighter as she used her gift. 

Once the aura was entirely lapis, Yachi started to bring her hands closer to Kageyama’s chest. The fog collected into her palm and spiraled into a sphere. She continued to bring it closer and closer to Tobio’s burns and grunted with difficulty. Finally, she managed to place her palms on Kageyama’s chest and push the fog into him, resulting in a gasp from the tiger. The wound immediately turned into scar tissue and healed. 

It was almost like a seal. As soon as the aura dissipated, so did the cold and the wind. Hinata didn’t realize how loud the silence was during the process but immediately knew the ordeal was over when Yachi sagged back into the stool and panted loudly. Her chest heaved and her face was sunken in as if she hadn’t eaten in a couple of weeks. He released the breath he didn’t know he was holding and dropped Kageyama’s hand to kneel next to him. 

“How’re you feeling?” asked Hinata. Kageyama’s breath ghosted on his cheek. His eyes were still closed but his expression was calmer from before. He was panting similarly to Yachi.

“T-tired,” Kageyama breathed and turned his head towards Hinata’s. 

Before Hinata could ask, Shimizu spoke up. “Hitoka’s gift drains the energy of both parties. It speeds up the healing process and heals wounds or illnesses even if it wasn’t possible before. Bigger wounds require more energy, they’re both going to need to sleep.”

Hinata nodded. Who knew that there were so many limitations to gifts bestowed by the Kami? He turned his attention back to the tiger. His chest was looking much better. It wasn’t red and blistered anymore, now it was just a huge scar across his chest. It made his heart ache, knowing he did this to Kageyama, but at least the tiger didn’t need a skin graft. 

Shimizu noticed the teen's emotions and assured him that Kageyama would be fine and that he would still have feeling in his chest because of Yachi’s power. Once again Shouyou was confused but decided to stay quiet- his brain was already hurting too much from what happened. 

“Hinata,” purred Kageyama.

Shouyou immediately turned his attention to Kageyama with raised eyebrows. He had never heard Kageyama talk like that before, the vibration from his purring caught Shouyou off guard. Hinata tried to shush him, he didn’t want Kageyama to give himself away. 

“Do you like me like you like Shimizu?” He asked and grabbed Hinata’s hand. He brought it up to his face and nuzzled into it. 

“Huh?” Hinata asked and stared down at the teen with shock. What was Kageyama talking about? “Why is he acting like this?” He directed towards Shimizu. 

“He’s exhausted. Exhausted to the point where his judgement is impaired. Very similar to being drunk,” She informed. “Let him sleep on the table, help me with Hitoka please.” 

Hinata got up from the floor and darted to Shimizu’s side. She was holding Yachi up from behind, the smaller girl had passed out while Hinata was conversing with the cat. He spotted Shimizu as she hauled Yachi up and brought her into her arm bridal style. Shouyou was amazed by her strength and held open the door for her as Shimizu trudged into the living area. She lay her down on the couch and put her hand on her hips as she finished. She noticed the knitted blanket on the love seat and grabbed it and slid it over the sleeping form of her girlfriend. 

Shimizu sat down on the couch next to Yachi and motioned her hand to the love seat, offering the space to Hinata. He sat down, feeling out-of-place being alone with the older woman. 

“You’re free to stay the night, I assume they both will be out until tomorrow morning, so we can discuss pricing then,” brought up the older girl. 

“Oh, okay. Thank you,” Hinata answered and began to try to figure out a way to break the news that they were broke. He looked outside and noticed the sun setting, what time was it? 

As Shimizu started walking to the ladder, Hinata worked up his courage and questioned, “What different ways can we pay if we don’t have money?” He squeezed his eyes shut, not wanting to see Shimizu’s reaction. 

Her footsteps came closer and she sat down next to him, the weight on the love seat shifted slightly. 

“I can tell you both are not from around here. I don’t know how you got here or where you’re from, but I sense that you need help. I doubt you have a place to stay either from the looks of you. If you help with around the place, you can stay here for a while and repay Hitoka that way.”

Hinata felt himself relax and had to restrain himself from hugging the dark haired girl right then and there. “Thank you so much, you have no idea how much this means to-”

“You can stay  _ only  _ if you go wash up. You smell as if you haven’t bathed in days,” She blurted out with a chuckle. 

“Deal,” Shouyou agreed and sprung up from the seat, headed towards the bathroom.

  
  


***

Kageyama opened his eyes and abruptly felt pain in his back. He shifted and discovered he was still on the examination table in the apothecary. Birds chirped in the background, clearly heard through the thin walls of the house. 

He pushed himself off the table with a groan and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. Where was Hinata? What had happened yesterday after the healing? Kageyama went to take off his beanie but found it was already plucked off his head. A sense of dread filled his body as he felt his exposed ears. 

While he tried to remember any clue of who had taken his hat, Kageyama looked over his chest as best he could without a mirror. The pain had become so constant that he couldn’t register what it felt like without it. But now… it felt as if a weight was taken off his shoulders, literally. He moved freely and found no aches. A smile formed on his face but the reality that someone had seen his ears made his face fall into a frown. 

Outside the room, low voices spoke to one another. Though quiet, they were intense, filled with caution and reluctance. Kageyama inched his way over to the door and swept the curtain aside a few centimeters to get a view of who was speaking. 

It was Yachi and Shimizu. They were standing in the middle of the room, their hands moving around animatedly as they conversed. To the left of them, Hinata was sound asleep, curled up on the love seat with a red blanket draped over his petite frame. As his eyes wandered, Kageyama didn’t notice that Shimizu caught sight of him until the last moment. His eyes widened and he dropped the curtain, the fabric serving as a wall between them. 

He heard footsteps coming closer to the apothecary and he locked the door with lightning speed. 

“Kageyama?” A soft voice called out. It wasn’t Shimizu, it was Yachi.

Kageyama could only hear his heart beating in his chest. They knew. They saw his ears. They were going to kill him. They were going to kill him like those hunters killed the Oikawas. They were going to-

“Are you okay?” The blonde’s voice filtered into his ears. “I know it must have been hard to come here and ask for help. We’re not going to hurt you, I promise-”

“How do I know that!” Kageyama screamed and slammed his fists against the door. He could feel the tears in his eyes. Taking a deep breath, he brought his forehead against the door and listened. 

A weight rested against the door, Tobio assumed it was Yachi sitting down. “When I read your aura, I knew instantly that you were a semifer. I had the chance to stop the healing, but I didn’t. Do you know why?”

Kageyama shook his head then realized she couldn’t see him. “No,” he snivelled. 

“Because my gift allows me to see every physical and spiritual part of someone. I don’t know what happened to you but I know you have a past riddled with pain that’s caused you trauma. I could feel the memories from your leg, your countless scars, the grief you won’t allow yourself to feel, the blame you’ve placed on yourself for something you did not cause. I feel it all,” Yachi sniffed, holding back her tears. “And I felt what you feel towards Hinata. Your first real friend, your first real second chance at living. I don’t want to take that away from you. I don’t care that you’re a semifer.” 

He couldn’t fully understand what she was saying. He didn’t know what to say. Though his personal emotions were viewed without his permission, the feelings of violation didn’t make him angry. Instead, they made him scared. Scared out of his mind. “What about Shimizu?” asked Kageyama after a few moments. 

“She’s still on the fence about the whole situation,” Yachi confessed. “Her family was ki-”

“Shush, Hitoka,” Shimizu said with such authority that Tobio flinched. “I will allow you to live because Hitoka wants that. But if you lay a claw on  _ anyone  _ in this town, I won’t hesitate to use my power to kill you.” 

Kageyama decided he didn’t want to find out Shimizu’s gift that way. 

“Could you open the door?” Yachi asked after bringing herself back up on her feet. 

Kageyama’s hand hovered over the doorknob. With a swift breath in, he opened the door on his exhalation and kept his eyes pointed low at the ground. 

With all the commotion that was going on, Hinata had started to wake. While he rubbed his eyes, a yawn escaped his mouth and caught the attention of the three. His hair was dried flat on his head and resembled a nest more than defined curls. Tobio lifted his head and made eye contact with the sleepy teen. 

“Kageyama, your ears!” Hinata’s eyes widened and he sat up quickly. He looked from Yachi, to Shimizu, to Kageyama, silently asking for an explanation. The blanket that was covering caused him to slip as he got up from the couch and he fell hard on the ground. Kageyama rushed over to him as the ginger cried out with an  _ OW! _

“When did you tell them? I thought we were going to figure out a way to hide it?” Hinata rushed while Kageyama grabbed him by his arms and hauled him back up to his feet. 

Kageyama shushed him and sat him back down on the love seat. He tried to calm Hinata down but fell silent when he heard a  _ swish  _ from behind him. A translucent mitsudomoe swirled in front of Shimizu the size of a large shield. The three heads of it resembled a vortex while it spun, but quickly transformed into a tangible bow and arrow. And it was aimed straight at them. 

Shimizu’s face was full of concentration. She didn’t hesitate, just moved the bow steadily to follow the boys’ actions when they raised their hands up on each side of their heads. Yachi was sprawled on the ground behind her, most likely pushed down on the ground by her girlfriend as protection. 

“Move and I shoot. Tell us everything right now or I’ll kill you both. I don’t want any more surprises. First I find out that he’s a semifer, so what are you hiding? Explain what the lines that cover your body are! I noticed them yesterday but they don’t resemble any tattoo I’ve seen before. What you are?” She demanded at Hinata. 

Shouyou had no idea what was happening. His eye’s followed straight down the length of the arrow and focused on Shimizu’s face. He knew she was serious. But he couldn’t help his body from reacting to immediate fear. 

A tingle grew in his fingertips.  _ No _ . Not right now. Deep breath in deep breath out. It wasn’t working! The buzzing grew stronger every second he stared at the threat in front of him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the faint glow of the eight lines on his body light up. 

“Wait! Stop! I can’t control my gift. Please, lower your weapon!” 

“How do I know you’re not lying?” She whispered and pulled the bow tauter. 

More adrenaline pumped in his veins and his sight blurred. He had to release some flames before he lost control and they took over his actions. He didn’t want to hurt Shimizu. 

The only logical thing he could think of doing was to either knock himself out or try to let a little of the flames go. 

The latter seemed to be the better option so he turned his palms that were on either side of his head towards each other and  _ let go _ . Heat engulfed his hands and he willed himself to force the flames into a fluid sphere like how Yachi controlled Kageyama’s aura. Perspiration dripped down his face and he grunted out with the effort. 

“Can’t you see he’s struggling?!” Yachi yelled and tugged at her girlfriend’s arm, trying to break her form. “Lower your bow Kiyoko!” She cried and finally got Shimizu’s attention with the use of her first name. 

She lowered her bow and it disappeared with a flash of light. Hinata felt the fear decrease in his body and continued to maintain control until his body relaxed completely. His hands shook and Shouyou looked away, unable to handle the bright light. He had never been forced to restrain his flames until now. He had almost forgotten how volatile his flames were on the trip to the village. 

“Hinata, look at me,” Kageyama mumbled and grabbed at his shirt. 

Shouyou turned his head and looked at Kageyama. The flames were shining in his eyes, and Shouyou could see his reflection in them. He looked so frightened, his teeth clenched together and his face covered in creases from his muscles contracting with focus. 

“You need to calm down. We’re safe. I’m going to reach for your hands now.”

Hinata tried to shake his head no. Tried to tell Kageyama that he would burn if he tried to grab his hands, but he couldn’t. He was frozen, stuck in the endless action of holding his flames back. Larger hands reached out and Hinata closed his eyes, not wanting to see Kageyama get hurt again. 

But a cry of pain never resounded, just the feeling of touch. Hinata peeked his eyes open and looked as Kageyama’s right hand lay gently on top of his left one. It continued to move, and Tobio’s fingers found their way between his own. The flames continued to burn between Shouyou’s palms. Fingers closed around his hand and the flames being produced from his palm ceased to blaze. It was weird, like holding hands backwards but one-sided. Kageyama’s other hand slid up his right arm and underwent the same process. 

The flames disintegrated and Kageyama scooted closer to him. He switched the way he held Shouyou’s hands so that they were laced properly in both of their laps. Hinata stared at Kageyama, mouth agape. 

“Why would you do that?” Hinata questioned in a small voice. 

Kageyama shrugged and looked down at their hands. It appeared that he just became aware of how intimate their position was and he dropped Hinata’s hands back into the boy’s lap. 

Just the sound of all of them breathing heavily could be heard for a few moments. They all had to register what happened. 

“I’m sorry,” Shimizu apologized. “I shouldn’t have been so impetuous. I need to clear my mind, excuse me.” She bowed to them and darted out of the small cottage. 

“I’m so sorry, Yachi,” Hinata cried out and sunk into the love seat. It seemed as those he was trying to curl in on himself and disappear. “I was planning on telling you guys about my gift. That’s another reason why we’re here. I can’t concentrate right now to explain everything but please promise me you’ll help,” Hinata begged. It wasn’t like him to rely so much on others, but Yachi could feel the urgency in his voice and continued with her gut feeling. 

She nodded her head and promised she would help as best she could when both him and Kageyama were ready to open up about their situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! 
> 
> Please comment suggestions you have for the upcoming plot. I'd love to incorporate some of your guys' ideas!


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New information makes Kageyama decide to tell Hinata his past. At the same time, other characters are struggling with what the next right thing to do is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! I️ have been gone way too long, but my time off has allowed me to collect a lot more inspiration for this fanfiction. I️'m so sorry for being gone for months; I️ had finals, holidays, family issues, and my mental health was declining. My life has been pretty hectic but I️ finally found the motivation to write this long(ish) chapter. 
> 
> I'm not sure if I️ have stated this in earlier chapters, but there will most likely be a sequel/part two to this story. The way I'm writing is setting up for the sequel but I️ also am not sure if it is just an idea or an actual plan of mine. I️ really hope to get around to writing a sequel because I️ have so many ideas for it already and I️ honestly would feel disappointed in myself if I️ didn't write one. Just wanted to say this because there is foreshadowing I️ have included in this chapter (and earlier ones) but they're foreshadowing to the sequel. There are ideas that have brought up in this fanfic that I️ won't include in this part so I'm sorry about that but they're relevant for the next book(?) of this. 
> 
> But anyway, I️ hope you enjoy this LONG awaited chapter :)

Chapter Thirteen 

It felt empty that past week or two in the citadel. Empty of heat and warmth, though the sun bore down hotter than ever and the walls were furnished with lamps every other meter or so. Had the fortress always been this cold? Hajime shook his head at the thought. Not always, but for quite some time, yes. Ever since the Oikawas’ had been murdered the castle had become a mausoleum. 

Hajime twiddled the pencil he was holding in his fingers and sighed as he looked down at the record he was writing. The flames from the candles a few inches away flickered as the wax dripped on the wood they were sitting on. It was ironic that Tooru allowed the open flame at all in any of the offices. Wasn’t the point of this whole operation to kill the man cub with the fire? To use it so freely felt hypocritical. Everything Tooru was making him do felt hypocritical.

He grabbed the page and crumpled it with a crunch. It didn’t matter if he finished the report today or tomorrow or even next year. It was all bullshit. He was Oikawa’s right hand man for the gods’ sake. He should be with Tooru, helping him plan their next move, or at the very least, be providing insight on what was right and wrong. Not that the tiger would listen if he tried. 

From the start, Hajime questioned the decision to exile Kageyama. They grew up together- all of them! For the past eleven or twelve years they had all lived together. The Oikawas’ had heard about the tyrannical rulers of Kitagawa Daiichi in the jungle, and had to go out to help. Hajime guessed you could call it help, however it was more of overthrowing the previous leaders than anything. It wasn’t just for the tigers under the Kageyamas’ rule, no; it was for their son as well. 

There were rumors about Tobio. About what he had done. Or, allegedly done. However, he was the heir to the throne so it was astounding to find out that the queen had been abusing him for a couple of years. The Oikawas’ had to get him out of that situation, no matter what he was accused of. He was still just a child. Five at best. As a result, they joined the clan, slowly working their way up in the ranks throughout the course of a year until they were as close to the Kageyamas’ as immediate family. 

The children were kept out of the secrecy of the plan until it was all over of course. The Oikawas’ made alliances with the other families in the clan as they gained their trust, finally divulging how they were planning on overthrowing the Kageyamas’ when the time was right. The children, however, did not know how or even why the Kageyamas’ were bad. They were impressionable. The clear distaste that the queen had for her son rubbed off on all the kids. Soon enough, the nickname that only the queen used for Tobio was used by the kids. Lungri. In addition, the treatment was the same. And although their parents wanted to tell them to treat the young heir with respect, the suspicions it would rise resulted in clamped mouths.

No matter how hard his parents tried to hide it from him and the other children, Hajime could tell what was going on. They were the Oikawas’ bodyguards since… forever. They weren’t just limited to bodyguards, they were friends. So when the Oikawas’ asked for their help and protection before joining Kitagawa Daiichi, Hajime knew something was stirring. The months went by and Hajime pieced the puzzle together. He could tell that Tooru almost had as well, yet refrained from discussing the matter with his best friend. The one thing his father taught him before he died was to never talk about your opinions or thoughts out in the open. There could be listening ears anywhere. Hajime wasn’t even a member of the force for that mission, but he knew that if he wanted to keep himself and his best friend safe, he would have to act oblivious.

Even after the Oikawas’ took over and renamed the clan Aoba Johsai, Tobio was treated the same. Except by Tooru’s parents. His mother treated Tobio like another son. Treated him like a prince. Teached him that it was okay to love and be helped. It took awhile for Kageyama to break out of his shell, but once he did, he was lively and caring and looked up to their eldest son, Tooru. Although Tooru would never admit it, Hajime knew the man was jealous of Tobio during their childhood. 

For around two years everyone lived in bliss. Around the one and a half year mark, Tobio opened up. Looking back on it, it was a shame that the Oikawas’ were murdered when they were. Not that they should have been killed in the first place. But all the work they put in to let Tobio know that life wasn’t just suffering went to waste. Their death destroyed Tobio and Tooru. 

Right after their death, Tooru decided to go out and get revenge. At eight, Tooru tracked down the humans who killed his family and slaughtered them in cold blood. Beneath the eyes of glass was hurt. Hajime knew that when his friend asked him to help carry out the plan. But if revenge would give him closure and allow him to grieve, Hajime wasn’t going to stop him. 

It wasn’t like anyone could stop him either. He was a little over a year away from turning ten. And he was the heir to the throne now that his family was gone. Hajime hated many things about being a semifer, but the one thing he hated the most was the fast ageing. They didn’t get to have a childhood. Not just because they had to grow up fast due to the trauma they went through, but because their bodies forced them to physically mature. At around eight and a half, a semifer’s body would accelerate through puberty and reach the human equivalent of 15 at the age of ten. Hajime knew it used to come in handy back in the day, but it did nothing but harm them now. 

Oikawa took over then, scaring most of the clan away by his ruthlessness. Only a few of them stayed, mainly the kids of the parents who ran away. Aoba Johsai grew in power and numbers as Tooru expanded their territory throughout the jungle. It took years, but he was building an empire. The only thing that got in Tooru’s way was himself and Tobio. 

At first, Kageyama still looked up to Tooru. After being rejected and constantly picked on by Oikawa and the others, he turned cold. He had no parents anymore. Not biological, nor adoptive. He was only six. He grew up alone, no matter how hard Hajime tried to work with him or get him to open up like how he did previously, Tobio wouldn’t budge. It just became worse over the next decade. He started to believe that he was the rightful heir, desperate to hold onto some part of his jumbled identity. He didn’t even know who he was. 

His behavior wasn’t enough to be exiled though. Hajime knew that and tried to explain to his lifelong friend, but he too wouldn’t budge. So now he was here. Sitting in his small office, wondering if he should have done something way back when that could have changed the outcome of all their lives. Was constantly following Tooru’s orders worth it? 

His father always told him to follow the mission. Don’t question your employer, do what you’re told. Tooru wasn’t his employer, nor was he paying him anything for his work. They were just two best friends against the world. Hajime felt like maybe it wasn’t them against the world anymore. It was Tooru against the world, with Hajime being dragged along. Hajime didn’t even know where he stood with Tooru. Sure they were best friends, but there was always something more. At least that’s what Hajime thought. 

Since they were 12 Hajime knew they weren’t just friends. Friends didn’t kiss each other. Friends didn’t hold each other the way they held one another. Maybe it was puberty, maybe it was something more. And things kept getting more intimate as time passed. Secret kisses and innocent touches turned into… well, Hajime turned red even thinking about it. But now going into their 20’s, things weren’t different in that department. Eight years and not a word was spoken about their relationship. And whenever Hajime thought he had the courage to ask, he choked and let himself be brought back into bed with Tooru like they did every night. 

Was what they did sincere? Or was it just a way for Tooru to keep Hajime on a tight leash. Did it mean anything to Tooru? Hajime thought it used to. Now he wasn’t sure. Tooru was always obsessed with control. Tracking down his parents' murderers, and then finding out the identity of the man-cub when he burned down half the forest ten years ago. But when it was just the two of them, Oikawa let his guard down and let Hajime take over. He let him care for him. Tooru let  _ him _ have control. 

When they were waiting for the man-cub to come of age, that was when life was good. No, it wasn’t good, it had moments of good. When there was nothing else to do but turn to each other. But then it all came crashing down when waiting became too difficult, and physical contact felt forced just to pass the time. A routine they had to keep up to stay sane. And now Tooru wouldn’t even face him in bed anymore after they were done having their ‘fun.’ He’d been drifting for a couple years now. Hajime didn’t want it to be true the first time he noticed, but as the tie continued to sever, the clearer reality became. 

He should have done something when he detected the distance growing between them. He should have done something when he saw Oikawa beating that innocent wolf up. He should have done something when Oikawa exiled Kageyama. He should have done something when he suspected that Tooru was figuring out what his parents were doing. He should have done something from the very beginning. And now he was feeling the regret weigh him down. 

It was too much. Hajime didn’t know which way to go now. Should he stay with Oikawa? His best friend, his family, his…first love? Or should he turn away and do what was right? He rubbed his hands over his face and flicked his tail with frustration. Now wasn’t the time to contemplate his life choices. It was already too late to run away or fix past mistakes. Oikawa had forced them to learn magick the past year. Who knows what would happen to him if he tried to escape. 

Hajime’s eyes widened at that thought. Did he really think that being in Aoba Johsai was so bad that he needed to  _ escape _ . Guilt creeped into his mind and forced a pout on his lips. He would have to think later-

“What are you doing sulking like that, Iwa?” 

Hajime practically jumped out of his seat as he heard Oikawa’s voice. “I’m not sulking, I’m just… thinking.”

“Thinking, sulking. Seems to all be the same when it comes to you,” Oikawa chuckled and waltzed over to Hajime’s chair. He placed his hands on his shoulders and rubbed soothingly. 

Hajime stiffened under the contact. 

Noticing his discomfort, Oikawa pulled his hands back and frowned. “What’s with you these days? I feel like I barely know you,” Oikawa spilled and sat down to Iwaizumi’s right.

_ ‘I could say the same thing about you,’  _ Hajime thought but held his tongue.

Once he realized he wasn’t responding, Oikawa spoke up again. “Are you still upset about that wolf? I told you I didn’t do enough damage to kill him if they found a medic. I just gave him a little scare. Just like Tobio. So c’mon, forgive me and let's just go back to normal,” Oikawa bargained and stood up from his seat against the wall. He took two steps forward and looked down at the man who was refusing eye contact. His hand reached out and cupped Hajime’s face, bringing it to look at him. “Please,” he whispered and pushed away a stray hair with his other hand. 

Hajime still wasn’t looking at him so he bent down and placed his lips gently on the other tigers. Surely this would make him loosen up and forget about his thoughts. The latter’s eyes fell closed and he kissed back lightly. There, now he would stop thinking.

“You think using magick on Kageyama is just a ‘little scare?’” Hajime whispered as he pulled back from the kiss, but still clung to the closeness of Oikawa. His hand found its way to Oikawa’s, clutching it.

Oikawa’s demeanor flickered to something of anger but he composed himself quickly. “He needed to be taught a lesson. Who cares if I used the wolf to carry it out. It’s Mr. Refreshing’s fault for harboring that human in the first place.” 

“I guess. But was bringing up his mother a good idea to include in the spell? Couldn’t it been carried out in another-”

Oikawa slammed their lips together again, but with more force than the previous kiss. Hajime couldn’t help his eyes falling closed once more, but his brows furrowed as well. Maybe he himself was under one of Tooru’s spells. 

“I don’t wish to discuss that subject and you know it,” Oikawa spoke strongly and quietly as he ripped his mouth away. He had dropped Iwaizumi’s hand during the kiss. “The more emotional ties to the spell the victim has, the less damage it has on the caster. You know this. I didn’t stay in the infirmary for three days for nothing. If I didn’t include that bitch when casting it I would have been in there for over a week. I do hope that is enough to quell your deplorable dubiety.”

The taste left over on Hajime’s lips made him want to gag. He knew this would happen, so why did he allow it to? The first kiss was to quiet his mind, but this one was to shut it up and threaten him into submission. 

He craved control in this situation, just like Oikawa. Not even control, but the safety to allow himself to share was he wanted to say. Maybe going to bed with Tooru was the only way to do that. Maybe that was why Oikawa allowed it to continue. Maybe he was playing right into Tooru’s hands by believing he had authority whenever they retired for the night. 

***

“You at least know which kami or buddha gifted you your power, right?” Yachi asked after agreeing to help the boys in front of her. Now that they had time to process what happened, the air became uncomfortable once more. 

“...yes,” Hinata responded in a small voice, feeling quite guilty for the scene that he helped cause. If he could only control his flames then maybe Shimizu wouldn’t be so tense. But then again, if he could control his flames, Kageyama wouldn’t have held his hands so softly. His eyes widened at the thought and glanced at the tiger sitting next to him. Though he had dropped his hands, he was still angled towards Shouyou, and their knees sometimes bumped against each other’s if they shifted. 

Yachi spoke up after Hinata didn’t continue. “It’s Kagu-tsuchi, isn’t it?”

Shouyou nodded, his eyes scanning the floor. 

“A while ago, there was a rumor here in this town about a family who had a child with the flower. I thought it was just a rumor… it was before I was born, but,” Yachi paused and looked up from her clasped hands at Hinata who now was fixated on her. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be so insensitive to talk about-”

“No, continue please. I don’t know my biological family, please tell me everything.”

“Hinata… I’m not sure you’ll appreciate what I know. And besides, it is only a rumor, not fact,” Yachi said and looked at Hinata with sad eyes. If she told him the story, who’d know how he would react? It was inhumane, the rumor. But the look on Hinata’s face- the wonder, the yearning- she knew she had to tell him. 

Kageyama had never seen Hinata so attentive. He had been downcast the past few days, but now he was so alive, so curious. From the look of Yachi’s face, Tobio knew that this was no happy story. 

Hinata was too jejune, too pure... too rosy. And Kageyama didn’t know what he would do when Hinata’s spirits were crushed with reality. He wanted to take Hinata away and hide him away from the world. It was cruel, and Hinata wasn’t. He was kind. And he was ignorant enough to think the world was kind too. 

But he couldn’t, and Yachi was already talking again. The only thing Kageyama could do was watch Hinata’s face and prepare himself to see it fall. 

“...With blazing red hair and a tattoo of a flower on it’s wrist. The parents immediately knew their child was gifted with Kagu-tsuchi’s power and tried to hide the child away in their home. Kids gifted with powerful Kami tattoos usually found their way to the city, whether that be by kidnapping, child trafficking, or parents selling them. The government actively searched for humans with powerful gifts, thought secretly through illegal means. So for a village couple’s child to be born with such a gift, they knew they had to hide it away. 

“One night a fire broke out in their small house, and their plan to seclude their child away from the world was destroyed. Not only that, it was rumored that the father was severely injured and wanted to get rid of the child. Even before the fire, it wasn’t known if the child was treated right. The next day, all three of them were gone. 

“It’s rumored that the government found the couple and took the child away, although some people say that the father got rid of the child and his wife by his own means. Another version is that the family sold their child and moved to the city to start over, but like I said, no one knows. They were never heard from again,” Yachi finished. 

And Kageyama watched it fall. 

It was silent for a moment. Hinata was wide-eyed, though out of shock instead of awe. He blinked a few times and licked his lips, trying to form words to thoughts he couldn’t process. 

“So, my parents didn’t want me?” He choked. 

“No, Hinata, no one knows what happened. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have told you this story. I said too much, it would have been better to not have mentioned it in the first pla-”

“It’s okay Yachi. I asked you to tell it and I’m glad you didn’t leave anything out,” Hinata said in a thick voice, though it felt like a punch in the gut for the girl. 

Why did she have to tell him everything?! How could she have been so reckless? But Hinata’s eyes had caught her in a trance. She couldn’t look away without telling him all she knew. 

“I’m really sorry,” Hitoka apologized again. 

Hinata didn’t respond. Kageyama felt him shaking next to him and he let his hand wander onto Shouyou’s knee to steady him. A nest of red whirled next to him and he found Hinata’s amber eyes staring at him, glossy and fighting to hold back tears. His lip was quivering but he kept his composure. Kageyama ached to hold him, to comfort him, yet the thought in itself made him panic-stricken. So much that he couldn’t move, he could only stare and wait for Hinata to break eye contact. 

He did. And he sniffed back his tears in the process. “Is there any work Kageyama and I could do to repay you? I don’t know if Shimizu told you about our shortage with money but she offered for us to work to pay you back.” 

Yachi and well as Kageyama were shocked at the abrupt change of subject, and Yachi stumbled over her words before telling them that they could pick weeds in the back and water the plants. 

The backyard was quite large since Yachi and Shimizu’s home was right next to the jungle. It spanned around 75 feet deep and was surrounded by a chipped white fence. It crept into the forest and various flora had taken over the two back corners in a curved shape. The house was tilted on an angle facing away from the jungle, so the square backyard didn’t work well with the natural growth of the jungle. 

Luckily, Kageyama and Hinata were told to only focus on the garden and the plants closest to the house. It was quiet between them. Kageyama stole glances at Hinata every now and then but the redhead wouldn’t meet his eye. The sun blazed down on them as they worked, and Kageyama wiped his forehead with the back of his hand multiple times. The heat was even worse since he had to wear a hat to cover his ears and pants for his tail. Even when the heat became unbearable, and Tobio had to take a break, Hinata worked. 

And they continued to work until the sun was high and right over their heads. Yachi had called them in for lunch then. Her Onigirazu was delicious and well needed due to the hours they had worked. And still Hinata had not said a word to Kageyama. 

It went on like that the rest of the day. They worked and moved on to different tasks and Kageyama took breaks while Hinata pushed himself until Kageyama had to sit him down and tell him he needed to drink some water. It’s not that Kageyama didn’t try to talk to him, no he tried plenty of times. But he never knew the correct thing to say and Hinata knew he wasn’t good with words. It was obvious the redhead didn’t want to talk but something broke inside Tobio everytime Hinata would cut their conversation short. 

The pain Tobio felt in his chest didn’t lighten all day. During one of his breaks he examined his body and found nothing physically wrong with himself, which made the aching even more concerning. He even considered going to Yachi and asked what was wrong with him but discarded the idea quickly. Although she helped them once, he still didn’t trust her. And he didn’t want to add on to their debt they already had. 

For some reason he knew that Yachi wouldn’t be able to ease his pain even if he asked. This had to do with Hinata. It was alarming for Kageyama to feel for someone else. He never imagined it to happen, but life was surprising him in many ways recently. He knew the name of this emotion: sympathy. But in reality he could empathize with Hinata. The fact that scared Tobio was not to show his sympathy, but to show his empathy. 

His half-assed attempts to make conversation so Hinata would feel better were sympathy- of course Hinata ignored him! Hinata never wanted pity, much like himself. Never had Tobio wanted to share his story with someone, he wasn’t even sure he wanted to now. But one thing was clear, Tobio wanted Hinata to feel better, or at least turn to him for support. And he wasn’t going to do that if Kageyama would never open up. 

It was nighttime when Kageyama finally worked up the nerve to talk to his friend. Shimizu had come back a few hours ago and all the fortitude Kageyama had gathered drowned in a flood of anxiety. They ate dinner quietly, everyone was too hesitant to talk and Kageyama spent the time planning what he was going to say to Hinata later. 

And here he was now, laying in the dark next to Hinata on the loveseat and the couch that they pushed together. It was cramped, but Hinata had agreed to sleep on the shorter side, which raised the question as to why they even pushed the two pieces of furniture together? Yachi had said some nonsense about how they wouldn’t fall off the sides if they were together; however, Kageyama guessed it was for Shimizu to keep an eye on both of them easily if she needed to. Yachi’s commentary resulted in Kageyama sucking in a breath at what would happen instead of falling off. They would cross over into each other's side… 

The night was dwindling fast, almost as fast as Tobio’s heart. He had to say something, and quickly before Hinata fell asleep. If Hinata fell asleep, he would have to wait until tomorrow and the cycle of building up the valor to talk to his only friend would repeat. 

“H-Hinata,” Kageyama whispered into the darkness, hoping the girls wouldn’t hear. 

Hinata grumbled, his response muted since he wasn’t facing the tiger. 

Kageyama tried again a bit louder, “Can I talk to you for a moment… about something personal?”

That caught Shouyou’s attention. He had planned on going the whole day without speaking to anyone too much and letting sleep help his mood improve, yet Kageyama had surprised him by wanting to open up. Shouyou turned around and looked at his friend. 

He was stiff, not only that, Kageyama was chewing on one of his claws and fidgeting with his tail in the other hand. 

“What do you want to talk about?” asked Shouyou and slid his arm underneath his head.

“Uh, well,” He closed his eyes and sucked in a breath, “I just wanted to say that I’m sorry for what you found out today and that I’m here if you want to talk about it. Not just to get how you're feeling off your chest but because I’ve experienced the same thing too.” 

It astonished Shouyou that Kageyama offered a shoulder to lean on. He seemed to be uncomfortable in the situation, but Hinata wanted to know more. If he was going to get anything out of Kageyama, it would be now. 

“How have you experienced the same thing?” Hinata responded, trying his hardest not to sound mocking. He knew that Kageyama had a rough past, but he never got the full story. 

Kageyama swallowed hard and bit his bottom lip. “My mother… abused me. I don’t like calling it that though-”

“-But you have the scars to prove it-”

“-Even if there weren't scars that doesn’t mean it didn’t happen in different ways,” Kageyama rushed. He sighed and blinked a few times. 

Hinata cringed at his wording. He couldn’t mess this up. Kageyama was letting him in, and he couldn’t accidentally make him close the door again. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant that it’s okay to call it like it is, you don’t have to pretend like you’re exaggerating or bending the truth. Visible or undetectable, scars are scars.” 

He reached out his trembling hands and pulled Kageyama’s left hand away from his face. Both his hands cocooned one of Kageyama’s. They covered Kageyama’s, though just barely. Kageyama’s hands were bigger, but that wasn’t going to stop Shouyou. It seemed like this was one of the sure-fire ways for Kageyama to know he wasn’t lying. “Please, you can tell me anything. Tell me what happened.”

Silence filled the room except for the breathing of both of them. It didn’t drag on though, each second without noise seemed to build the anticipation they both felt. 

“I had a sister,” Kageyama stated. 

Hinata wanted to ask what happened to her but held his tongue.

“She was older than me by a lot. Around eight years older. So when I got to the age where I could form sentences, she was already well on her way into semifer maturation. But we were close nonetheless.” Kageyama stayed hushed for a while. 

“What was her name?” asked Shouyou cautiously. 

“Miwa,” Kageyama breathed. Her name ghosted off his lips. 

Kageyama didn’t seem like he was going to continue, so Hinata gave him a little push, “What happened to her?” he hoped he didn’t cross a line. 

“I-” Kageyama choked and closed his mouth. Kageyama’s hand became even more sweaty. Shouyou waited. “I killed her,” he confessed in a shaky voice. 

His whole body was shaking now, and Shouyou tightened his grip, trying to calm him down. He could barely process the disclosure Kageyama said. Though now Hinata was aware of the one thing that he wondered about Kageyama: who he had killed. Knowing felt so much worse than staying ignorant. He wanted to ask how, but knew it was too much. He couldn’t. 

Almost reading his mind, Kageyama spoke again. “I don’t remember how she died. I was around three when it happened. I only remember her falling and reaching out to grab her, bu- but I couldn’t,” Tobio’s voice broke. 

Shouyou shifted closer to Kageyama and wrapped an arm around him. He brought him into his chest, much like how he was before Kageyama was healed in the apothecary. He felt Kageyama shuddering against him. He wanted to tell him it was okay to cry. It was okay to let it all go. 

Before he knew what he was doing, his other hand reached out to Kageyama’s head. He had never touched Kageyama’s ears, and in the dark he could just barely see the white circle of fur on the back of them. Trembling fingers snaked up and brushed against them, prompting Kageyama to still. Shouyou didn’t know if he had startled Kageyama or had soothed him. 

“It doesn’t seem like you killed her,” He nuzzled into Kageyama’s shock of black hair.

“Yes I did,” Kageyama mumbled into Shouyou’s chest. A tickle of warmth on his collarbone told Hinata that Kageyama was taking deep, shaky breaths. “We were playing together, or rather, she was playing with me. And I always was competitive even though she was so much older than me. I never stood a chance.”

“Do you remember what happened next?” asked Shouyou. 

“I-I don’t know,” he said. He had rehearsed what he wanted to say for hours, but now nothing came to mind and all his words seemed to jumble together. “Something must have happened. Maybe I pushed her, or she tripped. But… I wasn’t fast enough to save her.” His shoulders sagged. 

“You’re not responsible. You can’t keep blaming yourself for this-”

“I should have saved her. I could have. If I was faster I could have!” Kageyama cried. 

Hinata hushed him with a  _ shh  _ and held him tighter. 

A few minutes passed of Shouyou cradling him, and in that time Kageyama cried softly in Hinata’s chest. The shirt Hinata wore dampened but he couldn’t care less. When Kageyama was down to just sniffles, Hinata whispered out, “Did your mom blame you for it?”

He nodded, though just barely. “She even gave me a nickname that the others in our clan started calling me.” He huffed out a laugh and wiped one of his eyes. “ _ Lungri _ ,” he sneered. 

“I don’t understand,” Hinata said with furrowed brows. No doubt it meant something terrible, but he didn’t know what it meant. 

“It means ‘the Lame One.’ She started calling me that after crippling my right leg,” he gestured to it with his hands. “When they found Miwa’s body, her right leg was broken from the impact. And since my mother would have a hard time producing another heir, she did what she could to punish me for what I had done without killing me.”

“An heir?” Hinata questioned and pulled away to look at Kageyama with a puzzled look. 

“Kitagawa Daiichi- the clan before Aoba Johsai- was led by my family, the Kageyama’s. They had been in charge since before the war, and were known as the ‘Rulers of the Jungle.’ My mother couldn’t get rid of her only son,” informed Kageyama. He explained how the Oikawas had overthrown the Kageyamas a little over a year later and why the name of the clan was changed. From the way the children treated him poorly because of his mother, all the way to the Oikawas taking him in as their own son and then being murdered by humans. His whole childhood and teen years. His life. 

“So why were you banished by Oikawa? I know that he sent you to kill me and failed, but being exiled hardly seems like a fair punishment,” Hinata said after Kageyama recounted his life. The look on Kageyama’s face made him regret asking. 

“The order to kill you was to save me from my banishment. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’m not the most cordial person-”

“You could say that again,” Shouyou giggled and received a hit to shoulder. “Ow! That hurt,” he chuckled again and looked at Kageyama’s face as his laughs faded. The expression that met him made him fall silent. 

Kageyama had a small smile playing on his lips and his eyes glistened in the moonlight gleaming through the window. The skin around his eyes were red from crying but he didn’t look as sad anymore. Shouyou couldn’t recall when Kageyama moved up from his chest to eye level. They were inches away from each other, Shouyou could even see traces of dirt on his forehead from when they were working in the yard. He could feel Kageyama’s breath on his cheek, and could detect the tiniest whiff of the herbs they handled earlier. 

The intimacy of their positions caught him off guard and he instinctively thought back to what Kageyama had asked him yesterday: _‘Do you like me like you like Shimizu?’_ Warmth flooded his face and he cleared his throat awkwardly while breaking eye contact with Kageyama. 

“What were you saying?” He grunted out, breaking the atmosphere that was forming between them.

“Oh, um, my banishment,” Kageyama responded and shifted away a couple inches. It seemed like Kageyama too was embarrassed by not only their closeness, but how Hinata had held him so dearly before. 

“Right,” Hinata responded and shifted himself into a comfortable position,  _ away  _ from Kageyama’s limbs. 

Though it took him some time, Kageyama told Hinata about his personality and actions while he was at Aoba Johsai. How he didn’t understand who he was due to everything that he went through. How he didn’t feel like he belonged anywhere since his first parental figures abused him, and the second parental figures were murdered. He grew up thinking he was the cause for everything that happened, and Oikawa only fed into it. Tobio wanted to be in control of his life, and the only way to do that was to be in charge. To have complete power over himself and everyone around him. And he found himself with another nickname,  _ The King.  _

It wasn’t as hard for Shouyou to understand the meaning of that nickname, but Kageyama still had to explain it. 

“Well if you’re the King, then Oikawa is the Grand King,” Hinata reasoned.

Kageyama laughed and agreed. He didn’t know what to say next, he had finished telling Hinata everything. It surprised him, but he didn’t regret telling him, not yet at least. And he didn’t think he would. Shouyou was artless, he would never turn on him like everyone else. And even if he did, Kageyama thought it would be okay to be betrayed by someone so marvelous. 

“Thank you,” Hinata piped up after sitting in the soundless dark for a minute. 

“Oh, um, it’s nothing really-”

“It isn’t nothing! I know it’s hard for you to open up. I’m glad I’m the person you can let your walls down to. I know that sounds selfish but I wouldn’t want for you to have this type of connection with anyone but me,” Hinata spouted. He didn’t realize what he said until it came out of his mouth and the aftermath left him feeling quite flustered. For what felt like the tenth time today, he composed himself and continued. “But really, thank you. I- After hearing that story this morning, I didn’t know what to think. I’ve always struggled with feeling like everyone would be better off without me and my stupid gift, and this account only verified it more. But with you, I don’t feel like such a burden. As long as you’re here, I’m invincible. And as long as I’m here, you’re invincible too.”

Kageyama had never felt so crimson in his life. When had Hinata become vital for his existence? He looked for words to respond, but his mind came up blank. How was he supposed to match Hinata’s intensity with only words? That was it! If he couldn’t describe how he felt with words, he would just have to show Hinata another way. 

He didn’t think he could handle any more physical contact that night, so he did the only thing he knew he could do. He purred. Loud and continuous.

“A-are you purring?” Hinata asked incredulously. 

To answer his obvious question, he grabbed Hinata’s hand and rested it on his vibrating throat. 

“I thought tigers couldn’t purr,” Shouyou stated, but didn’t include how he heard Kageyama purr the night before. 

“The human part of our anatomy allows us to, but chuffing is still possible and used,” he spoke with the purr rumbling underneath his voice. 

“Chuffing?” 

Tobio nodded and allowed himself to relax more to be able to produce the short, low, and quite loud, vibration. He could feel Hinata’s excitement and chuffed again by accident.

“You’re nothing more than a big cat!” Hinata exclaimed. “I bet I could tame you just by scratching behind your ears.”

Before Kageyama could scold him, Shouyou’s hands were on him. When Hinata had first touched his ears, he stilled and held control of his body. But now, he couldn’t control his body when this feeling was so much more than a light pat. His eyes immediately fell closed and his purring-chuffing blend only became more intense. He managed to squeak out a few curse words but they were drowned in his rumbles. What came even more as a shock was when Kageyama’s tail quivered down at his side when Hinata scratched at a specific angle, and Tobio gasped out loud at his physical reaction. He reached up and grabbed Hinata’s hands away from his head at that point, keeping them immobile in his palms. 

Hinata’s laugh made him feel even more embarrassed and settled for a glare instead of chewing him out. He could still feel a small purr in the back of his throat, he couldn’t mortify himself more by trying to talk in his condition.

“I knew it would have an effect on you, but wow, I never expected that much,” Hinata cackled.

“No more,” grunted Kageyama, hoping that Hinata didn’t notice how his tail had moved. 

“Fine, fine. But that was informative… I wonder if your tongue has tiny hooks like a cat’s?” Shouyou thought out loud. 

Kageyama’s eyes went wide and his face grew warm. “Wouldn’t you like to know.”

Hinata realized what he said and sucked in a breath, horrified at what Kageyama perceived it as. “Oh my gods, no I didn’t mean it like that,” he corrected and snorted. 

“I’m going to bed now,” Kageyama informed and closed his eyes, unable to continue looking at Hinata without feeling like he was going to burn up. He heard Hinata laugh a couple more times before settling down to sleep himself. 

Kageyama didn’t remember to let go of Hinata’s hands before drifting off to sleep, and he didn’t bother trying to conceal his content purrs either. 

***

Though Kiyoko was wary of Kageyama and Hinata, her suspicions of them began to decrease as she observed them for a couple days. Hinata hadn’t burned their cottage down, and Kageyama didn’t attack them in their sleep either. They worked hard in the yard and never purposefully caused destruction in any way. Not to mention the conversation that her and Hitoka listened in on a few nights ago left her flustered out of shame from spying on something so personal instead of out of agitation. 

One thing that stuck out to her was the family Kageyama had mentioned a couple times; the Oikawas. If her deduction was correct, and the young Oikawa was the semifer she thought he was, the world seemed to grow even smaller. She couldn’t risk opening up to Kageyama, but she also needed information on Aoba Johsai. The best thing she could do for all their sakes was to act friendly with the new guests staying in her home, and try her hardest not to cause a ticking time bomb to explode. 

With the new influx of people in the house, Kiyoko barely had room for her training. She took to working out in the farthest part of the backyard, but it still wasn’t enough. She had to train her gift, or all the progress she made would go to waste. She had been training ever since she had escaped the city after her parents death. She wouldn’t allow the government to make a weapon out of her. This small village had provided her sanctuary, but how long would it last? 

As risky as it sounded, Kiyoko thought that it might be beneficial for Hinata to train with her. With two well known gifts, it would be difficult to conceal them both. And Hinata didn’t even realize the power he held. Not just physical strength, but the spiritual energy he had. Without training, Hinata would continue acting as a beacon to those who could detect it. 

It was devastating that he grew up without exercising his power like the rest of his body. Powers gifted by the Kami were like a muscle unique to each person. Kiyoko believed the lines around his body were due to the excessive use of his power in such a short amount of time. Why though? She would need to delve deeper into Hinata’s gifter to find out why the overuse took such a form. It would be risky to visit the library and check out a book about the notable Kami, but it could be worth it. 

She sat with her head in her hands at the kitchen table thinking. The boys hadn’t even been here a full week yet, and she was already antsy at what would happen in the near future. Thoughts clouded her mind, and she jumped with surprise when Hitoka sat down next to her, sliding cool glasses of tea in front of them both. 

“Sorry, did I scare you?” her girlfriend apologized. 

Kiyoko shook her head and let her hands fall around the dewy cup. 

“Are you going to tell them?” Hitoka questioned into the quiet room, looking outside the nearest window. The boys were in the yard again, this time planting medicinal herb seeds that Yachi had bought at the market. 

Kiyoko didn’t need to ask Hitoka to know what she was talking about. She chewed her bottom lip with thought but didn’t answer. A soft foot toed at her ankle and she glimpsed at her girlfriend with puzzlement. 

“I’ll support you either way,” spoke Yachi and reached out to clasp her hands around Shimizu’s. Kiyoko noticed the look on Yachi’s face and knew she had more to say. “I just don’t want you to have regrets. I think we can trust Hinata and Kageyama. And I think they need our help, even more than we need theirs.”

Kiyoko nodded and allowed Hitoka to rub her thumb over the back of her calloused hands. “If the tiger turns on us when he finds out my past you know what I’ll have to do,” she warned. 

“Give him a chance at least, Kiyoko,” Yachi pleaded. “He may not be able to accept the truth at first but he’ll come around, I promise. He has Hinata. You heard what he said, ‘as long as we’re together, we’re invincible.’ You can’t take that away from them before they even know what it means.”

As much as Kiyoko wanted to argue, she knew that her girlfriend was right. She couldn’t keep making excuses to not continue on with life. Everything would change if she told them, and she hoped she wouldn’t regret it. “You’re right. I’ll tell them tonight,” she decided. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I️ really hope you enjoyed this chapter since the pace is picking up quite a bit. As always, comments and kudos are much appreciated. Thank you all again, I'll see you next chapter.


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